This report provides an overview of California's current process of supporting K-12 school capital outlay, identifies its shortcomings, and offers a conceptually different approach, or blueprint, for providing state school construction support. The report also outlines a model program, consistent with this blueprint, which the state legislature…

This paper provides a brief overview of the elementary and secondary school-finance system. The scope of the school-finance enterprise is large. On any given day, about 20 percent of the country's population participates in precollegiate education programs of some sort. The states provide nearly half of all school revenues, which come from…

This is a collection of papers from a 2001 symposium at Harvard University entitled "State Merit Aid Programs: College Access and Equity." After a Foreword by Gary Orfield, the seven papers are (1) "State Merit Scholarship Programs: An Introduction" (Donald E. Heller); (2) "Merit Scholarships and College Access: Evidence…

This report examines recent trends in the provision of state aid and the impact of these trends on college access. It also examines the funding sources for state scholarships, and how the current fiscal crisis facing many states is likely to impact college access and opportunity across the United States. The evidence is fairly conclusive regarding…

This report is a collection of five state case studies comprising a major component of the first phase of the project, "Changing Direction: Integrating Higher Education Financial Aid and Financing Policies." The project explored state-level strategies to better align financing and financial aid policies and support more informed decision…

This study was designed to: determine outcomes from projects supported by grants made to campuses and community based organizations through the state funded Postsecondary Service Learning Grant program from 1989-2001; develop indicators to help campuses and evaluators define campus civic engagement; and document the current status of civic…

This overview examines California's various State Allocation Board's funding programs for the construction, modernization, and maintenance of local school facilities. Funding information is provided for each program as are explanations of the school facility program construction process and the lease purchase program. The organizational chart for…

This study explores the types and extent of federal and state aid to Catholic elementary education. It examines the situation in Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio and provides case studies of Catholic elementary schools in Detroit, St. Louis, and Toledo. In Ohio, probably the most generous state with respect to nonpublic schools, the elementary school…

This paper describes some of the important changes that have occurred in California community colleges since Proposition 13 was enacted in 1978, in hopes to assist Arizona state leaders as they consider possible reductions on local property tax support for community colleges. Included is an historical overview, an official mission description of…

This report examines tax reform in Vermont. A unanimous state supreme court decision in 1997 ruled that the state's educational finance system was unconstitutional. In response to this ruling, the legislature passed a new statewide property-tax system with two tiers: a block grant of $5,010 per pupil and a guaranteed yield for spending above the…

This report contains analyses of income and expenditures for Oklahoma state colleges and universities for the fiscal year 1997-98. Educational and General Part I Income was reported at $751,750,307 for the 25 Oklahoma institutions for 1997-98, an increase of 7.3% from income reported for the preceding year, and 25.7% over the previous three years.…

This study sought to examine whether the growth in the District of Columbia's criminal justice expenditures was impacting on the financing of public higher education. Text, graphs, and figures focus on: (1) the impact of criminal justice policies on the University of the District of Columbia (UDC)--the only publicly funded institute of higher…

This study compares the changes in funding of universities and prisons in Maryland during the 1990s. Data from the Department of Public Safety, Division of Corrections, and the Maryland Higher Education Commission were analyzed for trends in correctional and college populations. The study notes that funding for Maryland's prisons increased by 50…

This brief report compares the perspectives of funding agencies and community-based minority organizations (CBMOs) serving individuals with disabilities on the grant development and decision-making process. A survey that attempted to identify needs in existing grant development and service capacity was responded to by 41 funding agencies and 81…

This paper examines Kentucky's school-finance formula and student outcomes as related to the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990. The report provides background information on KERA and describes the creation of the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding mechanism, a three-tiered system composed of…