In light of reduced or eliminated federal funding, this report discusses mental health services provisions. The history of mental health service funding is presented. Funding responsibility is traced from communities, to states, to private health insurance, to federal assistance, to community provision with state and federal funds, and finally to…

Describes the new equal education legislation in Massachusetts and how it will serve the goals of equity and excellence. Provisions include grants to serve the educationally disadvantaged, competency exams for students and teachers, and teacher incentive programs. Special assistance is directed toward communities with high drop-out rate and…

Rising program deficits and lack of state aid for college sports programs in Oregon have caused the suspension of sports teams as a cost-cutting measure. Some trace the financial problems to equalization of women's sports and the 1982 downturn in the lumber industry. Financing options appear limited. (MSE)

A national survey revealed that 13 states have created legislation to assist financially distressed schools. Focusing on two states, Indiana and Pennsylvania, the report outlines different methods they have developed to deal with financially distressed schools. In Pennsylvania a distressed school district is taken over by the state, whereas in…

Appropriations requests made by state coordinating boards or individual systems for 1988-89 and the political outlook for higher-education-related legislation are outlined for each of the 50 states. (MSE)

Describes the debate in Illinois over proposed bilingual education policy changes. Analyzes these issues: the effectiveness of transitional bilingual education, the inclusion of a cultural component, language assessment, the overprescriptiveness of current Illinois law, the impact of extending services to all limited-English proficient students,…

The legislative outlook for higher education is summarized state by state. Appropriations requests show the amount sought by state-wide coordinating boards or by individual college and university systems, not by governors. All appropriations requests are for operating expenses of the 1989-1990 fiscal and academic years. (MLW)

This report describes the status of State and federal financial assistance available to students enrolled in postsecondary institutions located in New York State during the two academic years, 1987-88 and 1988-89. The introduction contains a brief overview of State and federal student assistance programs and highlights recent developments in those…

With the state facing lawsuits over school funding, the Joint Interim Subcommittee on School Funding of the Montana Legislature recommended establishing guaranteed tax base aid to schools. The subcommittee made the recommendations in November 1992 to the 53rd Legislature. The legislation, LC 36, would equalize funding for school district facility…

The summer drought, the oil-market slump, and the desire for political popularity are among the causes for state financial problems. A report by the National Governors' Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers found that in 1987, the amount of money left in general-fund accounts was at its lowest point in 12 years. (MLW)

In 1995, Arkansas enacted two new bills that changed the way in which schools were financed. Act 916 required all school districts to levy a 25-mill tax based on an assessment ratio of 20 percent of use value on all property for maintenance and operation. The act also revised biennial appropriations for the State Department of Education,…

The report was prepared by a task force appointed to examine issues related to the University System of Maryland (USM) ten years after its creation in 1988. The task force focused on key issues raised by stakeholders and higher education experts, including statewide goals and priorities for the USM; duplication and overlap of authority between the…

This report summarizes legislative activities affecting higher education in California in 1989. The report is in 4 parts. Part 1 highlights particularly important higher education legislation during the first year of the 1989-90 legislative session. It includes summaries of adopted, vetoed, and pending legislation. Part 2 describes all higher…

This report presents demographics and information on Pennsylvania's state system of higher education and on issues that may influence that system in the 1990s. Following a brief introduction, the first section treats changes in state demographics including migration, minority groups, accelerated aging of the general population, and family housing.…

In order to establish a clearer sense of what California community colleges are expected to accomplish, to insure adequate resources to accomplish those tasks, and to provide a sounder basis for the assessment of the return of public investment in community colleges, the Board of Governors and the Office of the Chancellor of the California…