When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Recognize several criteria for evaluating taxes.
- Distinguish among the three major government sources of financial support
for schools: local, state, and federal.
- Describe the benefits and drawbacks of the property tax as the major source
of school revenues.
- Describe local resources and disparities in school funding.
- Analyze the causes and consequences of variations in local funding.
- Analyze state resources and disparities in school funding.
- Compare the various judicial and legislative efforts to reform school finances.
- Describe how attitudes about federal participation in education have changed
over the last two hundred years as reflected by legislative acts that provided
supplemental educational funding.
- Evaluate the financial trends that are having an impact on schools.
- Describe imminent financial considerations that will affect school management
in the immediate future.
Focus and Refocus Questions:
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to answer the following
questions from your textbook:
Focus Questions
- What proportion of school revenues do the local, state, and federal governments
contribute?
- What is wrong with relying on property taxes as revenue sources for schools?
- What particular fiscal problems characterize urban schools?
- Why are there significant differences among and within states in spending
for education? How does public opinion affect spending?
- What major steps have been taken to reform school finance?
- What financial considerations will most affect school management?
Refocus Questions
- What are the primary sources of tax revenue in your local school district?
How do these sources measure up against the criteria for evaluating taxes?
Which tax or taxes do you see as most fair? Why?
- How responsive are the sales tax and the personal income tax in times of
recession and economic downturn? Which do you believe has the greater responsibility
in funding public education: state or local government? Explain your reasoning.
- Do you believe that the federal government contributes sufficiently to the
support of public education in the United States? Why or why not?
- How do you feel about plans to link student progress on yearly achievement
tests to federal funding? What are the pros and cons of this funding approach?
