Equity trends in Wisconsin school finance, from 1980-1981 to 1988-1989

The major objectives of this study were to determine input equity trends in and levels of Wisconsin school finance and to examine how the treatment of the Milwaukee School District has affected Wisconsin school finance equity. Two major data sets--fiscal resource data and human resource data--were used to examine input equity trends in all 373 Wisconsin K-12 school districts from 1980-81 through 1988-89.;Children were viewed as the recipients of equity by using a pupil unit of analysis. Six fiscal resource inputs and two human resource inputs were used as proxy measures of equity. Two equity concepts--horizontal equity and equal opportunity--were applied in order to draw conclusions as to whether the eight input-equity objects were distributed fairly and to what degree the eight input-equity objects were related with the independent variables. Four equity measures were used in the study to assess the input-equity objects: the coefficient of variation, the Gini coefficient for horizontal equity, the Pearson Correlation, and the elasticity for equal opportunity.;All expenditure and revenue objects except local revenue per pupil showed a generally improving trend in horizontal equity. The six fiscal resource objects showed a worsening trend in equal opportunity with respect to district wealth. The three expenditure objects exhibited an improving trend in equal opportunity with respect to percentage of minority students, while local revenue per pupil plus state revenue per pupil object and local revenue per pupil plus state revenue per pupil plus federal revenue per pupil object exhibited a worsening trend after 1985-86. The treatment of the Milwaukee School District generally contributed to greater equity with respect to horizontal equity and equal opportunity with respect to district wealth, while the treatment of the Milwaukee School District generally tended to reduce equal opportunity with respect to percentage of minority student.;The distribution of teachers per 1000 pupils was more equitable than instructional expenditures per pupil for both horizontal equity and equal opportunity measures.