Many times the operation of our public schools is referred to as school business. No doubt it is a business, big business. The amount of money involved indicates that. In Florida, with a relatively liberal educational support system, about one-fifth of all state funds are spent on schools. The schools are more than a business involving dollars and cents. They involve a product of human lives, human lives that the schools endeavor to make more useful citizens for the good of themselves as well as their fellowmen. In the sense that schools do deal with a rather intangible product, the exact value in return for the dollars spent may be impossible to determine. However, there are undoubtedly practices that are for the best interest of the schools that deserve attention from the standpoint of financial management. / Typescript. / "July, 1951." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Eugene S. Lawler, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-66).

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Thesis advisor: Richard A. McGowan / This paper examines the discrepancies in the finance of public education across the United States in order to determine how particular funding schemes affect the quality and efficiency of education. Local governments have been the principal provider of funds for education in the past, but debate over equitable schooling for all students has led to several changes in the structure of education finance. In order to construct an encompassing measure of educational quality, a model based on Morgan and Morgan (2006) is used to assign each state a quality rating. Regression analysis helps establish the effect of various monetary variables on educational quality. There are clear patterns in the data which suggest that both the total amount of funds provided and the proportion of funds provided by each level of the government influence the quality of education. In addition, personal income and the percent of the population living below the poverty line prove to be key determinants of educational quality. It is my hope that this paper contributes to the work on the finance of public education and the work that aims to improve the quality of education in the United States. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Economics Honors Program.

The purpose of this study was to find out under what conditions people would be willing to donate money to public education; and to find out if foundations as an alternative for financial support, are an option for the schools. The study researched two primary questions dealing with individual's willingness to give, a voice factor, and the conditions under which people will philanthropically support public education, a choice factor rooted in exchange theory. The data was collected by structured, open-ended interviews with a selected sample of thirty residents of the subject school district. The sample included fifteen residents who supported a recent, failed budget override effort in the subject district, and fifteen residents who did not support the override. The data was qualitatively evaluated to derive answers to the study's research questions. Analysis of the data found that eighty-three percent of the respondents would conditionally donate money to public education through a foundation. One of the findings was the respondents' desire to have a voice in the functioning of the system through controlling their donations by manner of giving, or through designation of monies by earmarking for specific areas. Among the variables that affected the willingness to allocate private money to public education, perception of quality was the primary factor that was directly responsible for the decisions of the respondents. Conceptually this study looked at voice as an indicia of involvement, and as a way to reverse organizational exit. The ultimate goal of involvement becomes commitment or loyalty. Foundations may precipitate a process of increased community involvement in public schools.