Trenton Public Schools (TPS) have faced multiple years of fiscal turmoil as the district struggles to provide students with the resources required to meet the State's Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCSS). Under the tenure of Governor Chris Christie, the State failed to provide the state aid needed to support the district's budget, eroding…

Fiscal federalism deals with the sharing of resources in a federated nation. Over the years problems about local government finance have become an important aspect of intergovernmental relations. Constitutionally, local government is the third tier of government which exists as an independent entity, possessing some degree of autonomy and…

Objective: The authors describe the many financial challenges facing academic departments of psychiatry and the resulting opportunities that may arise. Method: The authors review the history of financial challenges, the current economic situation, and what may lie ahead for academic departments of psychiatry. Results: The current environment has…

This article considers the role of higher education in state budgets. It empirically models and tests the balance wheel hypothesis in a robust framework. The balance wheel model posits that in good economic times, higher education is an attractive area for states to fund and tends to be funded at a higher rate than other state budget categories.…

This study seeks to extend the literature on higher education enrollment patterns during times of recession by examining patterns of enrollment and successful course completion in one of the world's largest higher education systems--the California Community College system. The data are drawn from publicly available data sources on the web. CCC…

Proposes an alternative to resource-dependent approaches to strategic behavior, in which actors seek cooptive relations to alleviate constraint. An actor can gain (two-step) leverage by building a cooptive relationship with a player that controls a limiting party's behavior. Data on dependence relations, political alliances, and confidential…

Illinois currently permits districts to finance repairs and construction related to children's health, life, or safety through a modest "backdoor" referendum rate tied to property values. These repairs are ameliorative but not preventative. This article recommends a strategic capital preservation plan that sets aside funds for use in…

Educational funding in many states is declining in amount and political priority. The AASA recommends that school districts use curriculum-driven or performance budgeting to alleviate the crunch. Budgets should garner public support and reflect school district program effectiveness, comparative benefit, and collaborative planning, rather than…

There are still 10 English local educational authorities (LEAs) that are wholly selective and a further 10 with some grammar and secondary modern schools. This article examines the academic performance of pupils in secondary modern schools and the funding of these schools using national data sets matching pupils' performance at Key Stage 2 and…

Discusses incremental SBM budgeting and answers questions regarding resource equity, bookkeeping requirements, accountability, decision-making processes, and purchasing. Approaching site-based management as an incremental process recognizes that every school system engages in some level of site-based decisions. Implementation can be gradual and…

Facing severe budget reductions in 1991 despite institutional restructuring in response to budget cuts in the mid-80s, the Chancellor's Ad Hoc Budget Planning Group at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) proposes a process for fiscal change while aiming to retain institutional excellence. A first section states the current problem, reviews…

Only four states (New Jersey, Illinois, New York, and California) have specific physical education requirements for all grades. This article argues for eliminating mandatory physical education programs as a cost-effective means of increasing instructional time and allowing more parental choice in determining their children's academic schedule.…

A discussion of rationale and techniques for protecting high-quality faculty and administrators during a period of reduced resources looks at the administrator's role as leader in quality control, finding an alternative to halted growth, identifying key administrative and academic personnel, defining shared goals, and finding needed funds. (MSE)

Labeled a "citizen assessment," this study evaluates the effects of Massachusetts 2-1/2 during the first year after its enactment. The law limited taxes and changed laws relating to school budgets. The study focused on two areas: (1) the effect of loss of fiscal autonomy on school budgeting procedures, and (2) the changes in school…

In the Spring 1995 "JLE" issue, Meredith and Underwood say conflict (over shrinking resources) is inevitable between regular and special education. This article disagrees. Even if special education costs were escalating as a percentage of all education costs, changes in funding systems are making educator wars less likely. In many…