1. Attendance and Participation.
Class members are expected to contribute to in-class discussions.
2. Assignment #1 - Analysis of 3 School Districts
In this exercise students will be required to compare and contrast the finances of three school districts. You will be expected to analyze (by way of comparing and contrasting) the 3 districts and all of the financial categories (eg. current per pupil expenditures, cost per pupil expenditures, etc., etc.). In particular you will be expected to compare the total revenue for the districts from federal, state and local sources.
The three school districts can be found at the Education Fiance Statistics Center http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/search/search_intro.asp
Type in each of the separate districts named below and you will be given a complete detail sheet which you may wish to print out. You will be comparing these three districts:
- Berrien Springs Public Schools (Berrien Springs, Michigan)
- Edgerton School District (Edgerton, Wisconsin)
- Alameda City Unified (Alameda, California)
Students are to submit a report not to exceed 3 pages of content (12 point single spaced, word processed report). The Title page and bibliography page, (if present) do not count as content pages.
3. Assignment #2 - Reading (Considering Nontraditional Alternatives: Charters, Private Contracts and Vouchers.
Please look at this article State budget troubles putting the squeeze on school funding http://www.nsba.org/sbn/01-sep/090401-1.htm
Students are to submit a report about the article not to exceed 3 pages of content (12 point single spaced word processed report). Reports should provide a very brief (1 page) synopsis of the content of the article. The 2nd and 3rd page of the report should be the students analysis of the ideas in the article and a discussion of how relevant those ideas are in the area of school finance.
4. Assignment #3 - Research Presentation (20-30 minutes) on a current School Finance topic.
- Each student will complete research on a selected current topic related to a school finance issue. The topic must be presented in depth and analyzed for the purpose of gaining an in depth understanding of the many sub-issues.
- Students will be expected to provide a precise description of the issues surrounding the problem.
- Demographics, community expectations and culture, personnel history, district climate, and established operating procedures may be included.
Presentations will be evaluated based on the processes used to work through the particular case study with the class and the over all effectiveness of the presentation and arguments used.
The following is a list of possible subjects for analysis. The list is not inclusive.
- the emerging role of federal influence on education policy and school finance
- the emerging role of states in school finance
- the pros and cons of aid to private and religious schools
- the pros and cons of Seventh-day Adventist schools accepting government aid.
- the historical stand of Seventh-day Adventist schools towards accepting government aid.
- the pros and cons of introducing market forces into publicly financed education (e.g., site-based management, family choice of schooling, vouchers, charter schools)
- defining adequacy of educational provision (i.e., how much is enough?)
- the pros and cons of school site budgeting and how to do it.
- scale economies in education (e.g., advantages and disadvantages of school and school district consolidation; what is the optimal size of a high school? an elementary school?)
- integrating technology into instructional systems as a means of making educational enterprises more efficient
- the role of the property tax in school finance and how its administration might be improved
- the extensive impact of federal and state court decisions on school finance policy
- where has the money gone? (i.e., how have increases in school expenditures been used over the past decade?)
4. - Assignment #4 - Development of a School Budget
- This assignment represents the "practical" side of this course. It is a performance task in which you will be expected to develop a school budget, based on certain given information.
- Assessment of this assignment will be based on comprehensiveness, organization, utility, attractiveness and attention to the mechanics of the exercise as stated above.
- This material is posted on-line at this site.
5. Assignment #5 - Development of the Outline of a School Website used to advertise your school.
- This assignment represents another "practical" side of this course.
- It is a performance task in which you will be expected to develop the outline of a World Wide Web site which can will be used to advertise your school. This will not be the actual development of a Website (incorporating html components), but you will need to illustrate what aspects of your school would be emphasized in your school's website, so that it can be used as a marketing tool.
- Many schools are finding that a WWW website can be an effective part of the schools ongoing efforts to reach parents, schools, and the rest of the community about what's going on at their school.
- A Web site leaves a strong impression in a viewer's mind about a school, sothe website outline should reflect the quality of your school's other communications materials and activities.
- Check out these school sites for content and design ideas.
- Web66: International WWW School Registry http://web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html
6. Mid-Term Exam - School Finance Terms found in the Glossary (This will be taken over the Web after the completion of Chapter 8 in the textbook.
7. Final Exam - Take Home Exam (taken after the completion of all assignments and readings)