1 Education Week. (1997). Quality counts: A report card
on the condition of public education in the 50 states. Washington, DC:
Author.
2 Rhode Island Economic Policy Council. (February
1997). Meeting the challenge of the new economy. Providence, RI:
Author.
3 Education
Week. (1998). Quality counts ‘98: The urban challenge, public education
in the 50 states. Washington, DC: Author.
4 Pupils with differing needs are weighted as follows:
- General education students – 1
- Students qualifying for free or reduced
lunch – 1.2
- Students receiving services for limited
proficiency in English – 2
- Students receiving special education
services – 2.6
These weights allow for the varying
level of resources required to educate students with differing needs.
5 "Relative capacity" stands for relative
tax capacity, which is the amount of taxable property wealth available to a municipality
per capita. The tax capacity of each district is divided by the statewide capacity and
then multiplied by 100. If a district’s tax capacity is below 100, it is lower than
the statewide average. "Relative effort" stands for relative tax effort, which
is the property tax rate of the municipality divided by the statewide average property tax
rate, multiplied by 100. If a district’s tax effort is above 100, it exceeds the
statewide average.
6 The Urban Strategy Project. (1998). Strengthening
cities. Providence, RI: Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council.
