Download or read book An Analysis of the History of School Finance Litigation in Texas and the Effectiveness of this Litigation in the Attainment of an Equitable and Adequate Education written by Aida Nydia Barrera and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study analyzes the legal decisions that emerged across the nearly 45-year spectrum of Texas public school finance court cases, culminating in the judicial opinions and legislative actions that rather than bringing fundamental reform to the system has seen the enactment of temporary stopgap measures in 2006 that threw the system into further incertitude and undermined its basic tenets of constitutionality, eliciting the eighth round of lawsuits filed in 2011 and 2012 against the State, which charge that the school finance system is inequitable, inadequate, and inefficient. This is not to say that the decades-long litigation has not produced some beneficial results. In the intervening years since the initial filing in 1968 of the Rodriguez case, Texas has seen the development of a more equitable and adequate school finance system. Following Rodriguez, the Texas Supreme Court opinions in Edgewood I (1989) and Edgewood II (1991) were instrumental in spurring the legislative reforms that increased the overall funding of the system as well as provided the larger allocations that went to low-wealth school districts. Although the litigation strengthened the gains in equity in this initial period, the subsequent Texas Supreme Court opinions produced judicial ambiguities and redefinitions that left the Texas school finance system in a continual state of constitutional uncertainty with respect to its fundamental mandate to provide an equitable and adequate education. The decisions in Edgewood IIa (1991), Edgewood III (1992), Edgewood IV (1995), West Orange-Cove I (2003), and West Orange-Cove II (2005) have nonetheless been instructive in demonstrating how the Texas school finance court cases have altered the dynamic of equality and adequacy and the basic assumptions and ideals that have defined the fundamental right to an education, with the implications that these altered policy approaches have on the distribution of educational resources for all children. Importantly, the state's trajectory in school finance litigation offers an illustrative example of the tenuous but often contentious partisan interrelationship between the different levels of the judiciary and the legislative and executive branches of government that too often has deprived Texas public school students of an equitable and adequate education.
Download or read book Equity and Adequacy in Education Finance written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-02-12 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spending on K-12 education across the United States and across local school districts has long been characterized by great disparitiesâ€"disparities that reflect differences in property wealth and tax rates. For more than a quarter-century, reformers have attempted to reduce these differences through court challenges and legislative action. As part of a broad study of education finance, the committee commissioned eight papers examining the history and consequences of school finance reform undertaken in the name of equity and adequacy. This thought-provoking, timely collection of papers explores such topics as: What do the terms "equity" and "adequacy" in school finance really mean? How are these terms relevant to the politics and litigation of school finance reform? What is the impact of court-ordered school finance reform on spending disparities? How do school districts use money from finance reform? What policy options are available to states facing new challenges from court decisions mandating adequacy in school finance? When measuring adequacy, how do you consider differences in student needs and regional costs?
Download or read book School Finance Litigation written by Mary Fulton and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Brief History of Texas School Finance written by David Webb and published by D. Webb. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Property Tax School Funding Dilemma written by Daphne A. Kenyon and published by Lincoln Inst of Land Policy. This book was released on 2007 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: States experiencing taxpayer revolts among homeowners are tempted to reduce reliance on the property tax to fund schools. But a more targeted approach can provide property tax relief and improve state funding for public education. This policy focus report includes a comprehensive review of recent research on both property tax and school funding, and summarizes case studies of seven states-- California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas. The majority of these states are heavily reliant on property tax revenues to fund schools. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the report recommends addressing property taxes and school funding separately.
Download or read book The Texas School Finance Litigation Saga written by Albert Kauffman and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Texas Legislature's system for financing Texas schools is significantly more equitable after Edgewood v. Kirby. Edgewood I and Edgewood II effectively forced the legislature to improve the finance system. However, the rulings in the first two Edgewood cases have been whittled away by the last four Edgewood decisions.. As a result, courts now approach fundamental issues, legislative power, and the relationship between them differently.The Edgewood v. Kirby legacy still improves the equity and adequacy of Texas's public education finance system. This legacy is expanded upon with observations regarding long term impacts of the Texas school finance litigation saga.
Download or read book A Level Playing Field written by Jane Fowler Morse and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this timely work, Jane Fowler Morse reviews the history of school finance litigation in the United States and then examines recent legal and political struggles to obtain equitable school funding in New York, Vermont, and Ontario. These three places have employed strikingly different strategies to address this issue, and Morse analyzes lessons learned at each that will benefit both public officials and citizens interested in seeking reform elsewhere. Drawing on writers from Aristotle to Cass Sunstein and Martin Luther King Jr., she also explores the concepts of social justice and equity, highlighting the connections between racism, poverty, and school funding. The result is a passionate plea for equitable funding of public education nationwide to instantiate the ideal of "liberty and justice for all."
Download or read book Texas School Finance Reform written by José Angel Cárdenas and published by Intercultural Development Research Association (Idra). This book was released on 1997 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A master story-teller, Dr. Jose A. Cardenas, offers us an insider's view of the 28-year history of school finance in Texas. Dr. Cardenas is the founder & director emeritus of IDRA & is the only person who has been actively involved in the entire school finance reform effort since the early days of the RODRIGUEZ VS. SAN ANTONIO ISD litigation when he was superintendent of the Edgewood Independent School District. More than a history, this book provides a blueprint for persons interested in bringing about future reform in schools & other social institutions. Beginning with a description of the Texas system in 1950, the account covers court cases, legislation, & advocacy efforts & concludes with the status & future of school finance reform. Personal vignettes sprinkled throughout offer glimpses of those special untold moments that impacted history. Much of this volume - including the myths of school finance & lessons learned - relate to reform efforts in other states as well. Dr. James A. Kelly, president of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, provides a foreword, "Fighting the Good Fight," describing Dr. Cardenas as a trailblazer & pioneer. (ISBN 1-878550-63-2; 1997; 387 pages; hardback) Distributed exclusively by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA); 210-684-8180; FAX: 210-684-5389; E-mail: [email protected]; URL: www.idra.org.
Download or read book Making Money Matter written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-11-30 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States annually spends over $300 billion on public elementary and secondary education. As the nation enters the 21st century, it faces a major challenge: how best to tie this financial investment to the goal of high levels of achievement for all students. In addition, policymakers want assurance that education dollars are being raised and used in the most efficient and effective possible ways. The book covers such topics as: Legal and legislative efforts to reduce spending and achievement gaps. The shift from "equity" to "adequacy" as a new standard for determining fairness in education spending. The debate and the evidence over the productivity of American schools. Strategies for using school finance in support of broader reforms aimed at raising student achievement. This book contains a comprehensive review of the theory and practice of financing public schools by federal, state, and local governments in the United States. It distills the best available knowledge about the fairness and productivity of expenditures on education and assesses options for changing the finance system.
Download or read book Achieving High Educational Standards for All written by Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education and published by . This book was released on 2002-04-15 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Council, with help from the US Department of Education, held the Millennium Convention in Washington, DC in September 2000. It gathered educators, researchers, and policy makers at the national, state, and local levels to assess success and failure in educating minority and disadvantaged students since the Brown vs, Board of Education decision nearly a half century before, report on research into the causes of the successes and failures, and review strategies and practices that hold promise for continuing improvements. There is no index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book A Historical Analysis of School Finance Legislation in Texas from 1984 1995 written by Karen C. Ivy and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study incorporated historical and legal analysis to examine these years of change in order to analyze the reform period. The researcher reviewed major court decisions and legislation and studied the political climate of the time and the compromises it produced. Data is provided to chart the state's steps towards fiscal neutrality. The researcher also discussed the unintended consequences emerging from the litigation and legislation.
Download or read book District Court Demands More State Investment written by Maria Robledo Montecel and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 3 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Texas educators and communities have long fought for educational equity. From the earliest major school finance cases, the pressing need for equity has been at the heart of school finance litigation. And the courts have affirmed through numerous cases that equity must be addressed. Recapture provisions in Texas? current school finance system are the hard-won results of this work. Recapture directly benefits at least 90 percent of Texas public school districts, and all of Texas benefits from investment in children, but the school finance system and fairness depend on state, as well as local, support. State funding, however, has dropped, not risen. Since 1984, the state has reduced its contribution from 52 percent to 38 percent. When the responsibility for public school funding is transferred from the state to local property taxes, school districts must either assume a greater share of funding or cut back their programs. Any changes made must preserve or expand the level of equity in the system. There must be assurance that Texas will not create an excellent system for some and a minimally adequate system for the rest. [This document originally appeared in the "IDRA Newsletter", however some accompanying charts and graphs may not be provided here.].
Download or read book Some Perspectives on Recent School Finance Litigation written by Carlee Escue Simon and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past forty years, the highest court of virtually every State has confronted the same fundamental question - is our State's school finance system constitutional? The history of school finance litigation consists of three waves. During the first wave, which lasted from the late 1960s until the Supreme Court's decision in San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, the plaintiffs relied on the federal Equal Protection Clause. Essentially, the plaintiffs asserted that all children were entitled to have the same amount of money spent on their education and/or that children were entitled to equal educational opportunities (“equity suit”). The second wave, which lasted from the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision in Robinson v. Cahill until early 1989, continued to pursue the equity theory, but focused on Equality Guarantee Clauses of the State Constitutions. In contrast, the third wave, which began with the Montana, Kentucky, and Texas decisions in 1989 and continues to the present, involves the adequacy theory of school finance litigation. Under the adequacy theory, the plaintiffs, relying on the State Constitutions' Education Clauses argue that the finance system is unconstitutional because some schools lack the money to meet minimum standards of quality. Given the volume of cases, one would expect that the courts would eventually develop a coherent doctrine to decide school finance litigation. Yet, despite substantial academic commentary, courts continue to struggle with issues concerning justiciability and the appropriate constitutional standard. Recent decisions illustrate the point. For example, in Florida, a state trial court determined whether broad amorphous claims were justiciable. In South Carolina, a trial court addressed the merits following remand from the State's highest Court. In Colorado, the State Supreme Court issued an opinion that resolved justiciability while also establishing a constitutional standard for the trial court and giving significant guidance on both merits and remedial issues. The purpose of this article is to review and comment on these recent cases.
Download or read book Lessons in School Funding written by Terry Whitney and published by National Conference of State. This book was released on 1992 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: State litigation involving unconstitutional school financing systems are described in this document, which focuses on efforts in Texas to reform the financing of public education. Since its school finance system was declared unconstitutional in 1987, two subsequent proposals have been struck down by the Texas Supreme Court for the following reasons: (1) the proposals relied too heavily on local property taxes; and (2) a county education district plan essentially created a statewide property tax, which was against Texas law. The efforts of state lawmakers in Kentucky and New Jersey are also described. A conclusion is that states' school financing conflicts are far from over. In the majority of school finance litigation cases, the common thread is the focus on equitable resources for all schools. Additionally, courts have been asked to determine the basis of an adequate system of financing public education. Two maps that depict the legal status of states' education finance systems are included. (Contains 16 references.) (LMI)
Download or read book Savage Inequalities written by Jonathan Kozol and published by Crown. This book was released on 2012-07-24 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An impassioned book, laced with anger and indignation, about how our public education system scorns so many of our children.”—The New York Times Book Review In 1988, Jonathan Kozol set off to spend time with children in the American public education system. For two years, he visited schools in neighborhoods across the country, from Illinois to Washington, D.C., and from New York to San Antonio. He spoke with teachers, principals, superintendents, and, most important, children. What he found was devastating. Not only were schools for rich and poor blatantly unequal, the gulf between the two extremes was widening—and it has widened since. The urban schools he visited were overcrowded and understaffed, and lacked the basic elements of learning—including books and, all too often, classrooms for the students. In Savage Inequalities, Kozol delivers a searing examination of the extremes of wealth and poverty and calls into question the reality of equal opportunity in our nation’s schools. Praise for Savage Inequalities “I was unprepared for the horror and shame I felt. . . . Savage Inequalities is a savage indictment. . . . Everyone should read this important book.”—Robert Wilson, USA Today “Kozol has written a book that must be read by anyone interested in education.”—Elizabeth Duff, Philadelphia Inquirer “The forces of equity have now been joined by a powerful voice. . . . Kozol has written a searing exposé of the extremes of wealth and poverty in America’s school system and the blighting effect on poor children, especially those in cities.”—Emily Mitchell, Time “Easily the most passionate, and certain to be the most passionately debated, book about American education in several years . . . A classic American muckraker with an eloquent prose style, Kozol offers . . . an old-fashioned brand of moral outrage that will affect every reader whose heart has not yet turned to stone.”—Entertainment Weekly
Download or read book School Finance Reform in Texas written by United States Commission on Civil Rights. Texas State Advisory Committee and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document contains recommendations for changes in the Texas system of educational finance to improve educational opportunity for Mexican Americans and African Americans. The report examines alternative methods of finance, focusing on methods for improving the existing property tax system. The authors recommend that the State (1) supervise and control assessment of property; (2) assume the revenue-raising function for public elementary and secondary education; (3) enact personal income and corporate profits taxes; (4) raise its level of per pupil expenditure; and (5) grant aid on the basis of a child's need.
Download or read book Courts as Policymakers written by Anna Lukemeyer and published by LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2003 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Having trained in both law and social science, Lukemeyer (public administration, U. of Nevada-Las Vegas) decided that professionals in both fields could benefit from insights in the other about school finance reform. She explains the role of legal cases in reform and how they can be used for further research; and how judges, lawyers, and plaintiffs can use the insights developed in the social sciences. She looks at 25 years of cases ending in 1996. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).
