Across the nation, a surprising number of both critics and advocates of urban schools demonstrate a naivete about the limits and possibilities of funding in relationship to the academic success of urban students. On one hand, critics often argue, without solid evidence or informed analysis, that urban school districts have sufficient funds to…

This paper examines the complex web of state basic and categorical aid programs in New York, with particular attention to the components of basic aid. State aid to elementary-secondary education in New York is distributed through a four-point basic-aid program and over 30 categorical programs. The first part of the paper describes the components…

During the 1993-94 school year, New York implemented major reforms in school finance. This paper describes the proposed 1994-95 school funding system, with a focus on the role of basic aid and changes from the previous year. The first section describes the components and accompanying formulas for the basic aid program and then highlights the major…

American society has long realized the importance of education as a tool for social and economic mobility and therefore has supported free public education with taxpayer dollars. Understanding that every child is entitled to an education appropriate to his or her needs, to varying extents state legislatures have recognized the importance of…