Chapter 2: Financing School Infrastructure Needs: An Overview Across the 50 States

Funding school infrastructure needs has not been a priority of the states; however, state support for funding has grown over the years. Still, the local voter-approved bond issue is the major source of revenue for school district infrastructure needs, but, in many cases, lack of voter support means school infrastructure needs continue to go unmet. In states that provide no support, there are few options left to provide the fiscal means for meeting school infrastructure requirements. In those states that require local effort to qualify for state aid, lack of support for the bond issue may render the local district unable to participate in the state funding program. Even with all of the funding mechanisms available, the question of equity still arises, and it is a particularly complex issue when discussing school infrastructure needs.