PERCEPTIONS OF FINANCIAL SPECIALISTS AND SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS ABOUT FUTURE REVENUE SOURCES AND ALLOCATIONS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION IN INDIANA

CHARLES F. HOBBS, Purdue University

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to answer four questions about future sources and amounts of money to support public education and how this money would be earmarked and allocated to meet the costs in Indiana. The participants for this study included individuals with differing amounts of expertise in public school finance in Indiana. They were placed into four distinct groups: financial specialists, and superintendents from large, medium, and small size school corporations. The initial task of the participants was to suggest statements describing the future status of revenue sources and their allocations to meet educational costs as they might be by 1995. Appropriate categories for the statements were suggested to the participants. The statements were collated, edited, and returned to the participants for two rounds of Delphi type response-feedback-response. Kendall's coefficient of concordance was used to determine if the four groups were using the same criterion in assigning percentages to the statements within each revenue source and allocation fund category. A standard was then established to determine the strength of agreement of the statements. The financial specialists served as the criterion; therefore, no statement was analyzed unless first the specialists were in strong agreement. Additional strength was given to the statement if some or all groups of superintendents were in strong agreement with the specialists. Based on these results, seven conclusions may be appropriately drawn: (1) There will be no major shift in federal revenue sources by 1995; (2) State revenue sources will increase by several percentage points between 1985 and 1995; (3) In the future local revenue sources will decline; (4) General fund allocations will not see an appreciable change from 1985 through 1995; (5) Allocations for capital outlay from the cumulative building fund will decrease through 1995; (6) There is little probability of any new sources of revenue to finance public education in Indiana by 1995; and (7) There is little probability of any new allocation funds to help meet the costs of public education in Indiana in the years ahead.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

School administration

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