Question 1

______________taxes suggest that the greater the income or property worth, the more one should pay in taxes.

Accepted Answer

A)   Progressive
B)   Regressive
C)   Income
D)   Property A

Question 2

State court decisions affecting financial support of public education have sent the message that

Accepted Answer

A)   if budgets reflect blatant discrepancies from one district to another within a state, the federal government may intervene.
B)   discrepancies in quality of education are not related to funding.
C)   the level of financial support for public education clearly does make a difference in the quality of education.
D)   a national system of providing for the financial support of public education is necessary to alleviate discrepancies in funding. C

Question 3

What failures may occur with the current method of calculation of property tax?

Accepted Answer

A lack of uniformed valuation may lead people owning equivalent properties to pay different taxes.

Question 4

Taxpayer resistance has called for educators to be more

Accepted Answer

A)   accountable for the success of programs.
B)   cautious in talking with legislators.
C)   innovative in program design.
D)   realistic about teacher salary increases.

Question 5

One of the driving forces behind the federal government increasing funding for education was the __________________.

Accepted Answer

A)   launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957
B)   segregation legislation
C)   launch of the Space Shuttle
D)   Civil Rights Act of 1964

Question 6

The largest portion of revenue for the schools is generated from _____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)   personal income tax
B)   sales tax
C)   property tax
D)   assessment tax

Question 7

Currently, ____________states have sales tax that contributes to the public school system.

Accepted Answer

A)   16
B)   26
C)   36
D)   46

Question 8

Recent reform efforts in school funding, such as tuition tax credits, voucher plans, and choice plans, are evidence that

Accepted Answer

A)   there is growing concern that tax revenues will never be high enough to fund public schools adequately.
B)   no tax plan is fair, and the public should have the freedom to dictate where tax revenues are spent.
C)   private schools are inherently better than public schools.
D)   there is growing attention to, and public support for, competition among schools so that parents can identify and support the best schools and exert more control over where their children go to school.

Question 9

Some of the largest growing populations of students are ___________, who often require additional funding per student in order to provide services.

Accepted Answer

A)   English language learners
B)   students in poverty
C)   students with disabilities
D)   all of the above

Question 10

School financing arrangements are most vulnerable to being declared unconstitutional in

Accepted Answer

A)   State 1, where taxpayers claim they cannot afford any further increases in property taxes.
B)   State 2, where there is no state income tax.
C)   State 3, where annual revenues in all districts fall below projected needs.
D)   State 4, where there are substantial differences in districts' average spending per student.

Question 11

Teachers and administrators are being held accountable for their actions because of pressure primarily from

Accepted Answer

A)   parents.
B)   principals.
C)   school boards.
D)   students.

Question 12

What is the primary purpose of assessing user fees in a school environment?

Accepted Answer

A)   to collect an additional tax revenue
B)   to offset shrinking revenues from traditional sources
C)   to replace property tax
D)   because there is no other source

Question 13

One of the increasing trends in funding for education is the growth of the ___________ population, who may no longer have a vested interest in increasing taxes for school.

Accepted Answer

A)   bilingual
B)   senior citizen
C)   young couples
D)   migrant

Question 14

Your state is trying to implement a hotly contested new finance plan that would transfer funds from wealthy districts to poor ones.Those who support the plan probably base their arguments on which of the following issues?

Accepted Answer

A)   equity
B)   decentralization
C)   accountability
D)   charter schools

Question 15

Municipal overburden is a term used to indicate

Accepted Answer

A)   high financial demands for a variety of public services.
B)   providing services for high-income areas.
C)   limited community involvement in the city.
D)   too many administrators in the city government.

Question 16

The shift from categorical grants to block grants in the 1980s resulted in

Accepted Answer

A)   more funding for education from the federal level.
B)   funding decisions shifting from the federal level to the state level.
C)   more rules and regulations from the federal Department of Education.
D)   greater emphasis on funding specific federal programs.

Question 17

Low-income families would consider a sales tax on food to be a

Accepted Answer

A)   fair tax.
B)   municipal overburden.
C)   progressive tax.
D)   regressive tax.

Question 18

Asbury Elementary School needs an after-school child-care center.Of the following types of revenue, which is best suited (and perhaps easiest to attain) for support of this project?

Accepted Answer

A)   increased state income tax
B)   a new sales tax
C)   user fees
D)   increased property tax

Question 19

The property tax rate is expressed in

Accepted Answer

A)   dollars.
B)   mills.
C)   percentages.
D)   ratios.

Question 20

As the proportion of people over sixty-five increases, it is likely that there will be

Accepted Answer

A)   decreasing emphasis on the physical education curriculum.
B)   decreasing conflict about school goals.
C)   increasing resistance to school budget increases.
D)   increasing conflict over curricular content.

Exam 8: Financing Public Education