Educational Administration

Chapter II presents a brief history of the equalization movement in the United States. A summary of federal participation is also given. Special emphasis is given to the present status of equalization of educational opportunities in the United States. Some attempt is made to group or classify the several states according to the state plan for distributing state funds for equalization of educational opportunities. While no two states haw exactly the same plan, for convenience of study, each state has been grouped under one of the following general plans according to the basis upon which the state funds are distributed: Average Daily Attendance Basis; Scholastic Basis; Administrative Unit Basis; District-Budgetary Need Basis; and Minimum or Foundation Educational Program Basis. Chapter III presents a brief history of the equalization movement in Texas. The state available school fund is explained. The plan for the distribution of state funds for educational purposes is presented. Special reference is made of the present equalization law in Texas, giving the amount of allocation and the basis upon which it is distributed to certain school districts. An explanation is made of the provisions for the transfer of the entire district by contract. A more extensive study of the contract schools in Texas is made in Chapter IV. A brief history of the contracting program in the nation and in Texas is presented, an attempt is made to analyze the effect of the contracting program on educational opportunities and to determine the trend of this program in Texas. In Chapter V some of the offsets of contract schools in Texas on administrative units are given. The data used in this chapter were secured from the Equalization Division of the State Department of Education and from a questionnaire answered by county superintendents of counties having contract schools. It is clearly shown that the contracting program increases the size of administrative units, increases valuation and school revenue of the administrative units, and has some effect upon permanent consolidation. Some discussion is made of the most common means of combining districts to form larger administrative units in certain counties in Texas. Chapter VI presents a number of summaries, conclusions, and recommendations concerning the equalization of educational opportunities which grow out of the present study