Writing assignment 1 IL
*In the Tax and Equity section, there are 2 assignments, one for Florida students, the other for non Florida students. Please choose appropriately*
Funding Equity and Financing Education
Non-Florida Students
Review Chapters 2 – 5, & 9 in Financing Education in a Climate of Change
You should review the PowerPoint presentations along with the other links on this section of the course (Sample tax bill, revenue sources, district millage rates, chapter summaries). Some of the other links are in a .PDF format from my scanner and should open with Adobe Acrobat reader by just clicking on the link.
You may want to review the document Public School Finance Programs in the U.S. and Canada: 1998-1999. This document provides an outline for each states funding system for public education. Since this document was produced in 1998-1999, you may find that your state has changed their funding system after this document was generated. However, this website would be a good start to learning about your state’s public education funding system.
You may want to review the following links as the relate to your state in comparison to the other states.
https://www.the74million.org/the-states-that-spend-the-most-and-least-on-education-and-how-their-students-perform-compared-to-their-neighbors/ (Links to an external site.)
The following links provides a summary of the Federal contribution to public education.
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cma.asp (Links to an external site.)
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cmb.asp (Links to an external site.)
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cma.asp (Links to an external site.)
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/npefs13years/ (Links to an external site.)
The following link discusses what services/programs are addressed with NCLB funding:
http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=158 (Links to an external site.)
Georgia students should begin by reviewing the following sites:
http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/pdf/StFinance/Georgia.pdf (Links to an external site.)
http://www.casfg.org/ (Links to an external site.) (This site has several articles addressing education funding in Georgia.)
Nevada students should begin their search by reviewing the link below:
http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/pdf/StFinance/nevada.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Submit short answers to the following: (You must type the question, then your response. Points will be taken away for spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors). Please note that the document must contain references in APA 5.0 format. Not including references will result in a 1.0 point deduction in the final grade.
- Explain the difference between equity and equal. How does this concept relate to financing special education services? (.5 point)
- Some districts have high property wealth and others less valuable property. If the state provides a constant amount of funds per student (Flat Grant) and the district is required to raise the equitable amount of funds per student, how would this be inequitable in relation to taxpayer equity? How does a Foundation funding program differ from Flat Grant funding? (.5 point)
- In the case of Serrano v. Priest, the concept of fiscal neutrality was introduced. Explain how the funding system in California was unfair to students in “property poor” areas. (.5 point)
- Most states provide some type of supplemental support for public education, either through a foundation program or some type of flat grant. In general, much of the funding for public schools comes from a local source (i.e. property taxes). For your state and local school district, answer the following questions: (1.5 points)
- What are the local sources of funds
- How are the rates determined and what limitations are placed on the amount of local funds that can be generated?
- Which of the local sources of funds are discretionary and which are required?
- If the funds are discretionary, what governmental body determines the amount to be taxed/generated?
- What percent of the total student funding in your school district comes from local sources, state sources, and federal sources?
- In Florida, the Required Local Effort (RLE)is a state determined property tax that is applied to all non-exempt property within the state. Since the RLE is constant across counties in Florida, each property owner pays a relatively constant percentage of property value toward public education. The consistency of the RLE property tax rate addresses the concept of taxpayer equity.
For your state, how does the state insure that the combination of state and local funds generated for public education does not unfairly benefit wealthy communities & place property poor districts at a disadvantage? What is the difference across your state in the amount of funds generated per student (highest amount to lowest amount)? (.5 point)
- In Florida, there are various sources of state funding for education. The bulk of the state funding comes from a statewide sales tax. Funds for education are also generated from para-mutual racing (greyhounds, horses, Jai-Ali). Additionally the state collects funds that are directed to education activities from a gross receipts tax on utilities and vehicle registration fees.
For your state, discuss the state sources of funds. Identify the different state sources and their specific uses. How are these distributed to local districts? (.5 point)
- Explain the difference between progressive and regressive taxes. Why are sales taxes considered a regressive tax? (.5 point)
- Give an example of a Sumptuary and a Severance Tax. (.5 point).
