scholarly journals Property Tax Cap Policy in Indiana and Implications for Public School Funding Equity

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott J. Bowling ◽  
Lori G. Boyland ◽  
Kim M. Kirkeby
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Property Tax ◽  
School Funding ◽  
Public School Districts ◽  
Property Taxes ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Funding Equity ◽  
Public School Funding ◽  
Tax Caps

The purpose of this research was to examine funding losses experienced by preschool to grade 12 (P–12) public school districts in Indiana, U.S., from an equity standpoint after the implementation of statewide property tax caps. All Indiana public school districts (N = 292) rely on property taxes as a major source of revenue, but districts experienced widely varying losses after the tax reform. Analyses across an array of district characteristics revealed significant relationships between differential funding losses and demographic indicators, including total student enrollment and the percentages of certain minoritized students. Implications for policy and practice include the integration of findings with essential research on funding equity in public education and attention on leadership toward reducing funding disparities.

scholarly journals A Missed Opportunity

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-196
Author(s):  
Ryan S. Brooke
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
School Funding ◽  
Public School Funding ◽  
Formula Funding ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
Texas School Districts

Some critics called the uncapped supplemental payments received by predominately rural West Texas school districts prior to 2009 “windfalls.” The result of this one-sided understanding, and subsequently the complete elimination of such agreements between school districts and companies owning qualifying projects, is a handicap to what could be utilized as a valuable tool in filling the current deficit for public school funding. In 2011, the 82nd Texas Legislature appropriated at least $4 billion below what had been the current formula funding level for public education for the 2012-2013 biennium; some estimates had this figure over $5 billion. More recently, in 2013, the 83rd Legislature only returned $3.4 billion to public schools. In a time when funding options are shrinking, why would the Comptroller’s office suggest, and the Legislature pass, caps on incentives that provide additional funding for school districts? This Article will explore the development of public school funding in Texas and the possibility of utilizing the Act as a means of providing additional funding for the public school system while encouraging large-scale capital investment, specifically by renewable energy projects qualifying under Chapter 313 of the Texas Tax Code.

Spending Floors in Gifted Education Services

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-45
Author(s):  
Jaret Hodges ◽  
Jessica Ottwein
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
The State ◽  
Public School Districts ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Education Services

For nearly two decades, the state of Texas mandated gifted education services and provided funding to public school districts. One policy that was unique to the state is the mandatory minimum spending. This research examines how these mandatory minimum spending floors influence spending in public school districts within the state and how that influence varies across locales. Our findings provide evidence that rural public school districts in Texas were more likely to operate near to the mandatory state minimum spending for gifted education than non-rural public school districts. In particular, rural public school districts allocated 50% of the funds towards gifted education programming as suburban public school districts when the minimum spending floors was accounted for. The results should provide caution to policy makers on the possible ramifications of removing spending floors on gifted education programming in rural public school districts.

Face Mask Policies of US Public School Districts in States without Statewide Mandates

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Jacobs ◽  
Arvi Ohinmaa
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School District ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Public School Districts ◽  
Us States ◽  
School Settings ◽  
The Individual

Objective: We developed categories of the degree of restrictiveness of public schoolboards’ face mask policies in 10 US states that had no statewide mask mandates at any time during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data on schoolboards’ mask wearing policies for the individual boards in these states. Methods: We obtained school reopening plans found on school district webpages. We abstracted district mask policies and sorted them into groups indicating whether mask wearing was required or recommended. Results: Overall, 44% of boards mandated masks in school settings. There was a wide variation of policies within and between states. Conclusions: When left to their own resources, schoolboards will follow a variety of policies, many of which are a departure from state recommendations.

The Fragmentation of Metropolitan Public School Districts and the Segregation of American Schools: A Longitudinal Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith P. Richards ◽  
Kori J. Stroub
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School District ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Public School Districts ◽  
Ethnic Segregation ◽  
Public School District ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Context Scholars have increasingly raised concerns about the “fragmentation” or proliferation of metropolitan public school districts, citing the potential for fragmentation to facilitate racial/ethnic segregation by permitting individuals to sort more efficiently across district boundaries. In addition, scholars have expressed particular concern about the rapid growth of charter districts and their potential to exacerbate segregation. Purpose of Study In this study, we provide initial evidence on the effect of public school district fragmentation on the trajectory of racial/ethnic segregation in metropolitan areas, attending to the differential effects of regular school district fragmentation as well as charter district fragmentation. Research Design Using NCES Common Core data for the 2002–2010 school years, we computed measures of regular public school district fragmentation and charter district fragmentation as well as nine measures of racial/ethnic segregation for all 366 U.S. metropolitan areas (3 geographic x 3 racial/ethnic decompositions). We then estimated a series of multilevel longitudinal models predicting change in each measure of segregation as a function of regular and charter school district fragmentation. Results We found that school district fragmentation is unrelated to the overall level of segregation in a metropolitan area. More fragmented metropolitan areas have higher levels of segregation across districts than less fragmented metropolitan areas; however, they have lower levels of segregation within districts and equivalent levels of total metropolitan segregation. Likewise, school district fragmentation was not associated with worsening segregation over time or with attenuation of the secular trend toward declining segregation. More fragmented metropolitan areas had smaller declines in between-district segregation over the study period than less fragmented metropolitan areas; however, they had equivalent declines in within-district and total metropolitan segregation. In addition, charter district fragmentation was unrelated to the level or trajectory of school segregation in a metropolitan area. Conclusions Our results provide a somewhat more sanguine assessment of school district fragmentation than previous research. We found that the fragmentation of regular public school districts serves to shift the geographic scale of segregation from within districts to between districts; however, fragmentation does not exacerbate metropolitan racial/ethnic segregation. In addition, despite the rapid growth of charter districts, we find no evidence that charter district fragmentation has worsened overall metropolitan racial/ethnic segregation. Moreover, metropolitan areas are not experiencing the “fragmentation” of their traditional public school districts; rather, traditional school districts are consolidating despite increasing enrollment.

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