Very little progress has taken place in achieving greater fiscal neutrality. The change in definition of local school district wealth produced a significant redistribution of basic subsidies with the relatively poorer districts receiving less funds. (Author/IRT)

Discusses the effect of recent court decisions on the role of the state in school support. (JF)

A State-by-State preview of the major educational issues facing State legislatures in 1975. (JG)

Reviews the history of finance reform in California beginning with the Serrano decision and ending with an explanation of Assembly Bill 65. It remains to be seen if AB 65 meets the requirements of the Serrano decisions. (Author/IRT)

Faced with a December deadline imposed by the State's highest court, New Jersey's legislature will soon convene in an extraordinary special session to consider a controversial proposal for changing the State's system of financing public education. Discusses that proposal and the current system for school finance. (Author/JF)

Describes the California System for financing its schools and discusses proposed laws to reform the system. (JF)

This report describes and evaluates the record of reform in several states that have revised their school finance systems since 1971. The introductory chapter provides an overview of reform's recent successes, shortcomings, and prospects. Six subsequent chapters offer a close look at its main features. Chapters 2 and 3 analyze new school aid…

This booklet discusses the Horton v. Meskill case in which the Hartford, Connecticut, Superior Court ruled that the state's school financing system did not comply with state constitutional provisions concerning equal protection and education. It then outlines the legislature's reaction to the ruling--the guaranteed tax base (GTB)--and discusses…

New York's 1973-74 Task Force on State Aid for Elementary and Secondary Schools adopted the following nine "working principles" to guide efforts at legislative reform: (1) equalization of resources available to school districts, (2) improved coordination among districts, (3) inclusion of the impact of urban wealth and pupil population in…

An overview of 1977 state reforms is presented here as well as current trends in litigation strategies, status of policy research on emerging issues, and prospects for 1978. The first section describes important finance reforms and modifications as well as recent court decisions in school finance and the changes that are emerging in school finance…

Attempts to resolve inequalities in the state's financing of education in the 1975 legislature were a failure because the groups behind the three advocacy positions (increase teacher salaries, increase funds for basic costs, and increase equalization) caused divisiveness that allowed erosion of the reform measures. The basic issues in late 1976…

Describes the political values operating to allow the Illinois finance reform legislation to be passed in 1973, outlines the legislation and subsequent amendments to the reform, and discusses evaluative research done on the reform. (Author/IRT)