Examines Ohio education finance case of "DeRolph v. State" within framework of judicial attempts to define education adequacy. Summarizes problem with education finance; traces emergence of adequacy as goal. Discusses the meaning of educational adequacy in "DeRolph," earlier court decisions, statutes, and research. Calls for…

The first section of this article examines the historical record of Ohio's Second Constitutional Convention in an effort to discern what the delegates meant by "thorough and efficient" system of education. Included in this analysis are other historical documents that give further indication of the intent of the delegates. A brief review…

The Supreme Court opinion of June 2002 in "Zelman et al. versus Simmons-Harris et al." is reviewed in this paper. In the first section, an interpretation of the ruling is offered in terms of four evaluative criteria: freedom of choice, productive efficiency, equity, and social cohesion. Unsurprisingly, the opinion strongly emphasized…

During the last 12 months, the highest courts in 5 states have issued opinions on the constitutionality of their public school funding systems. Briefly reviews decisions and discusses possible future directions of this litigation based on an analysis of the 3 decades of litigation since "Serrano v. Priest" (1971). (Contains 11…

Discusses recent school finance litigation and legislation in Ohio resulting in school finance reform with an emphasis on educational adequacy. Focuses on the politics of school finance reform. (Contains 41 references.) (PKP)

Discusses research that addresses court decisions emerging during the third wave of school-finance litigation as related to children with special needs. Recent state supreme court decisions in Alabama, Wyoming, and Ohio address the constitutionality of the general and special-education finance systems. All systems were judged inequitable. Contains…

Describes the facts and state and federal constitutional law related to "Zelman v. Simons-Harris," a Cleveland school-voucher case before the United States Supreme Court. Argues that the Court will likely uphold the constitutionality of the Cleveland voucher program, finding that it does not advance religion in violation of the First…

Describes Ohio's efforts to fund school facilities following a state court decision that Ohio Constitution required adequate facilities. Explores political and economic factors for relative success of state programs to fund school facilities. Despite these efforts, voter-approved bond issues remain the principal means of funding facilities. (PKP)

Because school systems throughout America depend on local property taxes for much of their revenue, districts with poor property valuations, especially rural districts, are facing fiscal crises. In response to a lawsuit filed in 1991, the Ohio Supreme Court twice decided that the state's heavy reliance on local property taxes for school funding…

This handbook for elementary and secondary school principals contains several chapters on topics important to building level administrators. Each chapter summarizes relevant state and federal court decisions and statutes, concluding with recommendations for practice. The handbook is divided into four sections: students and the law, special…