School Finance Trends
237
Technology @ School Finding School Financing Information on the Internet As a teacher, you should remain informed about issues and trends in school financing. As discussed in this chapter, financing decisions at every level of government can affect your school community. One way to stay informed about school finance issues is to monitor the website of the Education Commission of the States. This site provides access to a number of relevant resources. From the home page, click on “Education Issues A-Z,” and then click on “Finance,” and you will find a wealth of information about funding formulas, litigation related to adequacy of funding, and the status of state budgets. Also available are research reports, additional articles on school finance issues, and access to other websites.
The Education Law Center website, which focuses on Pennsylvania school issues, has a “Fighting for Fair School Funding” section. It provides updated information on state court cases and current research reports on the status of school funding issues. Because school equity is such a topical issue, this site provides clear information on this complex topic. One additional site that provides helpful information on school funding issues is the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. It is easiest to find education-related articles through the “Press Release” header or by utilizing the search box. It consistently provides updates on the news about school budgets across the country.
8-4a Taxpayer Resistance
taxpayer resistance When taxpayers show reluctance to continue paying increased taxes to support public schools.
Beginning in the late 1970s, a tax revolt swept the country, putting a damper on the movement for school finance reform. In California, a 1978 taxpayer initiative called Proposition 13 set a maximum tax of 1 percent on the fair market value of a property and limited increases in assessed valuation to 2 percent a year. By 2013, forty-seven states had imposed some type of property tax limitations or caps.39 Additionally, as a result of this taxpayer resistance, thirty states operate under spending limits that are intended to restrain the growth of state budgets.40 The late twentieth-century educational reform movement emphasized the need to improve the quality of education. Taxpayers are typically willing to support increased education spending for that purpose; however, they want to know what they are getting for the dollars they spend. This concern led to increased educator accountability for the use of public funds.
8-4b The Accountability Movement accountability Holding teachers,
administrators, and/or school board members responsible for student performance or for wise use of educational funds.
Although definitions of accountability vary, the term generally refers to the notion that teachers, administrators, school board members, and even students themselves must be held responsible for the results of their efforts. Teachers must meet some standard of competency, and administrators must demonstrate that their efforts are improving student academic achievement. The accountability movement stems from various factors. Parents realize that schooling is important for success, and research suggests that the quality of a teacher has important consequences for student achievement. As the cost of education has increased, parents and policy makers demand to know what they are paying for.
“Capping Property Taxes: A Primer,” ITEP – Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (September 2011) at http://itepnet.org/pdf/pb26caps.pdf; and Dylan Scott, “Property Tax Revenue Limits Squeeze School Budgets,” Governing the States and Localities (February 6, 2013) at www .governing.com/blogs/view/gov-revenue-limits-put-squeeze-on-wisconsin-schools .html. 40 Bert Waisanen, “State Tax and Expenditure Limits – 2010,” NCLS (n.d.) at www.ncsl.org /research/fiscal-policy/state-tax-and-expenditure-limits-2010.aspx#studies. 39
Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
