Teaching, Bearing the Torch 2/e   Pamela J. Farris
	For the Student

There are many important issues related to educating America's youth. One such issue that is often overlooked by educators new to the profession is the topic of school funding. Local school expenditures, as well as funding from state and federal agencies, are critical components of a successful school system.
Chapter 10 will guide you through the following factors in school funding:

• Schools receive local, state, and federal funding.
• The primary source of school revenue is local property taxes.
• Three components of a school district's budget are capital outlay, debt service, and current expense.
• State support is based on the goal of equal educational opportunities for all.
• The primary source of state school revenue is income and sales taxes.
• Three types of state aid are categorical, general, and incentive.
• Federal funding to school districts is categorical aid.

After reading Chapter 10, you should be able to:

• Explain how schools are funded locally.
• Describe the process of setting property tax rates.
• Compare and contrast proportionate and regressive taxes.
• Outline how a school district creates its budget.
• Discuss issues of equity in property taxes.
• Identify and discuss major court rulings concerning property taxes and school funding.
• Describe how states contribute to local school funding.
• Identify and describe four main sources of state taxes.
• Delineate significant federal programs designed to improve education in the United States.
• Discuss the pros and cons of current trends in school funding.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 10

Quiz Help! Check here for related page references and feedback.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

1. Surf the web for more information on the impact of the GI Bill of 1944.

2. Compare and contrast state expenditures per student at the website of the National Association of State Information Resource Executives website (see Other Sites to Explore).

3. Look up websites concerning the politics of school finance. What are states doing to lessen the reliance on property taxes?

4. Visit the national Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) Equity Resource Center website to find statistics on the importance of Title IX.

5. Research the school expenditures of your home state by visiting your state department of education web site; compare your own district's expenditures to those of more and less affluent districts.

OTHER SITES TO EXPLORE

http://www.ofps.dpi.state.nc.us/OFPS/sb/sr/srdc.htm
Financial & Personnel Services: Statistical Research and Data Center (State of North Carolina)
This site provides more information on high school dropout rates and student expenditures.
Textbook links: see page 273.

http://www.futureofchildren.org/sch/index.htm
Financing Schools
The Center of the Future of Children sponsors this website dedicated to issues concerning school finance.
Textbook links: see page 263.

http://www.lihistory.com/8/hs805a.htm
The Hunger for Learning (Fed by the GI Bill of 1944)
This website features an article about the experiences of residents of Long Island seeking higher education after World War II.
Textbook links: see pages 272-273.

http://www.nasire.org/ss/index.html
National Association of State Information Resource Executives
StateSearch is a service of the National Association of State Information Resource Executives and is designed to serve as a topical clearinghouse to state government information on the Internet. This site provides information on state expenditures per student.
Textbook links: see page 273.

http://www.edc.org/WomensEquity/justtext.html
Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) Equity Resource Center
The national Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) Equity Resource Center works to improve educational, social, and economic outcomes for women and girls. Their website includes information on Title IX and single-sex schools.
Textbook links: see pages 275-276.

OTHER RESOURCES

Augenblick, J. 1991. School finance: A primer. Denver: Education Commission of the States.

Doerr, E., and A.J. Menendez. 1992. Should tax dollars subsidize bigotry? Phi Delta Kappan 74 (2): 165-67.

Huelskamp, R.M. 1993. Perspectives on education in America. Phi Delta Kappan 76 (6): 452-57.

Kowalski, T. 1995. Chasing the wolves from the schoolhouse door. Phi Delta Kappan 76 (6): 486-89.

Olson, L. 1992. "Supply side" reform or voucher? Charter school concept takes hold. Education Week 11, no.17 (15 January): 22.

Smith, G.A. 1995. Living with Oregon's Measure 5: The costs of property tax relief in two suburban elementary schools. Phi Delta Kappan 75 (6):452-57.

Swanson, A.D., and R.A. King. 1991. School finance: Its economics and politics. New York: Longman.