Financing Public Schools moves beyond the basics of financing public elementary and secondary education to explore the historical, philosophical, and legal underpinnings of a viable public school system. Coverage includes the operational aspects of school finance, including issues regarding teacher salaries and pensions, budgeting for instructional programs, school transportation, and risk management. Diving deeper than other school finance books, the authors explore the political framework within which schools must function, discuss the privatization of education and its effects on public schools, offer perspectives regarding education as an investment in human capital, and expertly explain complex financial and economic issues. This comprehensive text provides the tools to apply the many and varied fiscal concepts and practices that are essential for aspiring public school administrators who aim to provide responsible stewardship for their students.

Special Features:

• "Definitional Boxes" and "Key Terms" throughout chapters enhance understanding of difficult concepts.
• Coverage of legal, political, and historical issues provides a broader context and more complex understanding of school finance.
• Offers in-depth exploration of business management of financial resources, including fiscal accounting, school facilities, school transportation, financing with debt, and the nuances of school budgeting techniques.

"As the U.S. struggles to regain its economic stability, we are well served by this important reminder of education's foundational role in securing our nation's strength and well-being. Money, indeed, matters and mirrors what we value. As the authors remind us, these values are all too often caught up in the struggle between self-preservation and the common good."

--Deborah Collins, Associate Director of The Leadership Alliance, Brown University

"Financing Public Schools is not a traditional school finance book. There is a great need for educators to understand the value of education as a public good and a necessary precursor to a vibrant democracy; this text goes well past taxation, budgeting, and finance formulae to include thoughtful analysis and discussion of the public value of education, modern policies, and state politics."

--Julie Underwood, Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, and Dean, School of Education, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Kern Alexander is Excellence Professor of Educational Administration at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Richard G. Salmon is Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA.

F. King Alexander is Professor in the College of Human Sciences and Education, Louisiana State University (LSU), USA.