The vast majority of funds for pre-K through grade 12 public schools in the United States -- nearly $800 billion or over 90% -- come from state and local funding sources. States, not school districts, are obligated to ensure that all students have access to the resources they need to succeed. States can take steps to reduce disparities between…

Many successful non-financial managers aspire to contribute at the larger table of management decision making. To do so necessitates broadening their skills to include financial acumen. For non-financial managers, learning new financial constructs can be daunting, and knowing when to use which tool is challenging. We describe a…

Analysis of tuition and fees at public colleges and universities in Virginia must include a discussion of the funding received from the General Assembly. The period covered by this report represents a particularly complicated scenario that impacted not just higher education but all entities that receive general fund tax dollars in Virginia. The…

The Commonwealth of Virginia, like the rest of the nation, has endured the effects of an historical economic recession for the past three years. While Virginia is perhaps no longer in recession, the still fragile economy is a major cause for concern. Shrinking tax revenues and the need to balance the state's budget led the 2010 General Assembly to…

This research study sought to determine the effect high school completion of the agricultural career and technical education program has on the rate of return on investment by public schools in Virginia. The research questions guiding this study included: (1) Were students able to find employment related to the agricultural career and technical…

This document presents Governors' legislative and budget proposals in Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, plus notes from other SREB states.

Few people realize the impact that high school dropouts have on a community's economic, social, and civic health. Business owners and residents--in particular, those without school-aged children--may not be aware that they have much at stake in the success of their local high schools. Indeed, everyone--from car dealers and realtors to bank…

Pamela Moran, superintendent of Albemarle County (Virginia) public schools, sees ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) as a once-in-a-lifetime chance. "I don't think that in the history of public schools--certainly since I entered them in the 1970s--there has been an opportunity such as this," she says. "The last time there…

In the postbellum southern U.S., African Americans were steadily disenfranchised, a modern publicly financed universal school system with racially segregated schools was created, and public school monies were allocated so that white pupils received substantially more than black pupils. An earlier paper (Ng and Halcoussis 2003) established a…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Virginia. The state allocates K-12 education funds on a biennial basis. Supplements and rescissions to the original funding amount are made on an annual basis in order to correct for revenue growth or deficit. The state budget currently provides more than $5 billion to…

Two years ago a fiscal equity analysis assessed the current Virginia equalization formula over its history (fiscal year 1975-fiscal year 2003). The findings indicated by accepted equity statistics were that the level of equity improved from fiscal year 1975 through fiscal year 1994 and leveled off from fiscal year 1994 through fiscal year 2003.…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. The Legislative Reports follow education and budget issues from governors' proposals through final legislative actions in each of the 16 SREB states. The reports include bill numbers and legislative Web site…

Examining the six counties of Virginia's West Piedmont Planning District, this article presents data on local government community service expenditures and indicates that education accounts for about 60 percent of total expenditures followed by public welfare, police protection, financial administration and control, and capital outlays. (JC)

Surveys of community college graduates and of certified public accountants were made to determine employment relevance of the accounting curriculum. The article suggests topics from the study data which should be included in taxation courses, e.g., income tax accounting, corporate taxation accounting, and tax law. (MF)

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. The Legislative Reports follow education and budget issues from governors' proposals through final legislative actions in each of the 16 SREB states. The reports include bill numbers and legislative Web site…