Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Public Policy and Management

How government delivers public services can have broad societal effects, beyond the impact on programmatic outcomes. Such societal effects are particularly likely in the delivery of public education, as educational concerns drive residential and school choices, and public schools are the second largest public employer in the United States. My dissertation explores how innovations in the way we administer public education may affect societal inequities by race, gender, academic ability, and socioeconomic status. The first essay examines how the emergence of online “virtual” public schooling, which families within a state can access regardless of where they live, has affected school-based segregation by race and poverty. The second essay examines the impact of the sudden closure of a large virtual charter school on district segregation by race and academic ability. Finally, the third essay estimates the impact of introducing teacher collective bargaining—which empowers teachers in the management of public schools—on the diversity of staff and employment and pay of women. Overall, this dissertation explores how education administration affects with whom students interact in school and who has access to quality public sector jobs—all of which, in turn, have well documented long-term impacts on children.

Committee: Stéphane Lavertu (Advisor) Subjects: Economic Theory; Economics; Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Technology; Experiments; Public Administration; Public Policy; Social Research

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2018, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Ohio's school funding system is complex. The average taxpayer has at best a limited understanding about how their public schools' revenues and expenditures are collected, distributed, and expended. Overlay on the already complicated funding model with a myriad of school choice options with various funding mechanisms and amounts results in increased complexity. Even educational professionals and policy makers lack a clear appreciation of all the mechanics and implications of school choice and fiscal strain it can place on local school district budgets. This study focuses on the economic impact that Ohio school choice programs have on local public school districts and its potentially deequalizing effects. A literature review traces the evolution of choice programs and their prevalence nationally, before describing Ohio's school choice options and their financing. A quantitative review of the impact of school choice programs on 11 school districts in one of Ohio's 88 counties reveals the flow of public tax dollars among public districts and between public school districts, community academies, private schools, and other educational providers. Findings illuminate the widely unrecognized interaction between school choice and the state school finance system. It furthermore reveals the potentially de-equalizing effects when local revenues, as contrasted to the state formula aid, are sent to other districts or providers, while other districts retain state aid for students they do not educate. Additionally, findings clarify the consequences for traditional public school budgets bearing pressure over local programs, decision-making, and the delivery of a “thorough and efficient” education that students are guaranteed by the Ohio Constitution.

Committee: Charles Vergon JD (Committee Chair); John Hazy PhD (Committee Member); Charles Jeffords PhD (Committee Member); Charles Howell PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Finance; Educational Leadership; School Administration; School Finance

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 1996, Department of Educational Administration, Research and Foundations

This doctoral study investigated [Stephens and Turner's (1991)] anticipated dimensions for education services agencies across the United States in view of their advisability for Pennsylvania's Intermediate Units (IUs), as recommended by the three survey groups: IU executive directors, local school district superintendents, and Pennsylvania's policymakers. The principal instrument used, the Pennsylvania Intermediate Unit Survey, was a 50-item, five-point questionnaire. Data analysis included correlations and ANOVAs. Based on the results of this study, all respondent groups concurred that IUs should expand and extend services related to cost-effective delivery of education to local school districts, coalition building between/among human service agencies, and provision of state-level information to local school districts. Also, direct instructional support should continue to be provided to low-incidence disabled students. Furthermore, efforts should be made to gain state level support for including urban IUs and instructional support centers in interdistrict IUs. While increased state funding for programs and services directly related to new state priorities is indicated, no consideration should be given to granting categorical regional taxing power to IUs. Optional district services should be contracted, if adequate local superintendent support can be obtained. Clearly, strong support for IU programs and services exists within the three respondent groups. Better communications would enhance regional decision making.

Committee: Howard Pullman (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2012, (Education)

For nearly four decades the Ohio lottery has offered its products with the promise of providing a financial benefit to Ohio's public schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the tax incidence of the Ohio lottery in addition to qualitative aspects of lottery play. Data were collected from Ohio lottery sales and U.S. Census data both aggregated by zip code. Analysis of tax incidence was conducted through Suits Index analysis with confidence intervals in addition to double-log regression analysis creating elasticity coefficients. Qualitative data were collected through interviews. Five qualitative interviews provided data that were analyzed from an adapted grounded theory perspective. Suits Index analysis suggested that the Ohio lottery has been a regressive form of school finance for all of the years covered in this study (1992-2010). The least regressive games were lottery products that offered larger payouts with lower odds of winning. The most regressive games offered significantly smaller jackpots with higher odds of winning. Double-log regression revealed that lottery sales were supported disproportionately by less affluent consumers. Zip codes with higher median ages were found to drive increased lottery sales for all three types of lottery games. Non-African American minorities in Ohio (zip code analysis) were also shown to drive increased Lotto game sales. Increased percentages of males in a zip code resulted in increased Instant game sales. A higher level of education in a zip code reflected increases in lottery product's sales. Findings of regressivity were confirmed in lottery scholarship; however, demographic representation of lottery play offered mixed results. Qualitative findings of this study revealed avoidance by lottery players to outside interference in their lottery play. Respondents also suggested a strong ability to control the lottery process when they were able to select numbers or tickets based on socially constructed or situationally (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Frans Doppen PhD (Committee Chair); Edward Morris PhD (Committee Member); Gordon Brooks PhD (Committee Member); Yegan Pillay PhD (Other) Subjects: Economics; Education Finance; Education Policy; Educational Sociology; School Finance; Sociology

PHD, Kent State University, 2011, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Using an inductive method, this case study seeks to give voice to recognized school finance experts throughout Ohio on the topic of the K-12 school funding formula. The research focuses on the experiences of superintendents, treasurers, professors, and organizational leaders who have navigated the state formula. The main thrust revolves around what these authority figures see as crucial issues and their ideas on how to possibly reform an unconstitutional method of funding Ohio's schools. Data sources include interviews with 11 school funding experts at multiple sites, as well as any participating school district's financial documents, and also state level task force reports. In order to build the study upon a solid structure, the data collection and analysis are guided by the tenants of interpretive, qualitative research and based upon the tenants of grounded theory. Understanding the voices and perceptions of recognized experts in the field of public school funding could be a significant piece in informing state officials, lobbyists, and educational stakeholders in the ongoing saga of Ohio's school funding reform.

Committee: Stephen Thomas Ed.D (Committee Chair); Dale Cook Ed.D (Committee Member); Mark Kretovics Ph.D. (Committee Member); Averil McClelland Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Education Finance

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Urban Educational Leadership

The complexities surrounding public school funding are not unique to Ohio. There have been numerous legal challenges in the State Supreme Courts and seminal cases from the U.S. Supreme Court which have assigned the practices and formulas by which schools are funded to the individual states. Although previous research has investigated voter approval related to school referenda from the 614 public school districts in Ohio, a significant question remains as to which factors are affecting the school districts and their attempts to pass school operating levies. This study focusses on seven typologies developed by the Ohio Department of Education for comparing districts based on nine demographic variables and the factors which predict the outcomes of first attempt school operating levies within each of those typologies.

Committee: Mary Brydon-Miller Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Steven A. Hinshaw Ph.D. (Committee Member); Christopher Swoboda Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Tracy Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Finance

Doctor of Education, University of Toledo, 2022, Educational Administration and Supervision

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) spends almost $50 billion, or 19% of its $254 billion budget, on education, but student achievement is still lagging in most international measures (e.g., TIMSS & PISA) relative to other countries, many of which spend far less than the KSA. These discrepancies between spending and achievement raise concerns about the KSA's public school finance system and its potential areas of inequity, inefficiency, inadequacy, and unaccountability. In research on public school funding, a few principles of a sound school finance system have emerged, namely the principles of Horizontal Equity, Vertical Equity, Adequacy, and Accountability (Crampton & Whitney & Crampton, 1996). However, most of the research on these principles has been on public school finance systems in various states around the United States, and to a lesser extent on some European and African countries. To date, little research on public school finance on the Saudi education system has been conducted in general, let alone on the principles of a sound school finance system listed above. Thus, the purpose of this study was to address this gap by studying the attitudes of General Supervisors in the Saudi Ministry of Education (MOE) towards the school finance principles of Horizontal Equity, Vertical Equity, Adequacy, and Accountability. Data was collected using a translated and modified version of Park's (2010) survey, named Attitudes toward Funding Equity in Public Education, in which the principles above were operationalized as four scales with seven items per scale (28 items total). The translated and modified survey was reviewed by experts in educational finance (n = 2) and instrument design (n = 1) in both English and Arabic and was distributed to participants electronically as a Qualtrics survey via email. A Classical Test Theory (CTT) approach was used to assess the measurement aspects of the data. The data was analyzed using descriptive and scores among each scale were exami (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Randall Vesely Ph.D (Committee Chair); Nancy Staub Ed.D (Committee Member); Michael Toland Ph.D (Committee Member); Edward Janak Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Finance; Education Policy

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1954, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies

Committee: J. Russell Coffey (Advisor) Subjects: Education

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1954, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies

Committee: J. Russell Coffey (Advisor) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2017, Educational Administration (Education)

The shale gas rush, commonly called the fracking boom, began in Appalachian Ohio in 2010. The region was of interest to oil and gas companies that wanted to invest in the Marcellus and Utica shale located beneath many of the state's 32 Appalachian counties. This qualitative study took place in seven of these counties--Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison, Monroe, and Noble--where many public school districts decided to lease district owned property to oil and gas companies for exploration and drilling. This study considers how Appalachian Ohio superintendents and treasurers navigated the pressures and responsibilities of entering into legally binding agreements with natural gas companies. Semi-structured interviews with 20 superintendents, treasurers, and educational service center administrators were conducted along with document analysis of 52 financial documents: 24 independent audits from fiscal years 2010 and 2015; 23 five-year forecast assumptions from fiscal years 2010 and 2016; and five performance audits conducted between 2004-2015. Participants in the study reported that the decision to lease was first, and foremost, financial, depicting it as a way to pay down debt or invest in capital outlay and academics. Six major findings emerged from the study: 1) Participants reported they were moderate pro-actionists who were cognizant that fracking is a boom to bust industry. 2) Revenue earned by school districts from leasing deals and value-added opportunities is a stopgap. 3) Value-added opportunities (e.g. ad-valorem taxes) provided revenue opportunities beyond initial leasing deals. 4) Participants were able to engage new initiatives focused on educating-in, or reversing the propagation of what some scholars call the rural brain drain. 5) Revenue from fracking was invested with the bigger financial picture in mind. 6) As the fracking boom was unfolding, the potential for long-term powerlessness loomed for many districts and their surroundi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Frans Doppen Dr. (Advisor); William Larson Dr. (Committee Member); Charles Lowery Dr. (Committee Member); Geoffrey Buckley Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Finance; Educational Leadership; School Administration; School Finance

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2015, Business Administration

This paper expands on prior research by focusing on tragedy in a broad sense and how it impacts market returns and options volatility. Many investors are victims of framing, a concept where they base purely logical decisions on emotion. In a market where the goal is to accurately interpret the price of an asset, this can cause significant inefficiencies that are further exacerbated through arbitrage. The observations from this research indicate that investors react logically to the two categorized types of tragedy: accidental harm and purposeful harm.

Committee: Andrew Fodor Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Finance

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

This dissertation explores the interaction of tax and land use policies in the U.S. The first essay, Exclusionary Fiscal Zoning and Residential Housing Density, explores the hypotheses that local generation of tax revenue encourages local governments to enact zoning policies that reduce the efficiency of land markets. The theoretical model predicts that heavy reliance on local income tax revenue by local governments will encourage strict large-lot fiscal zoning restrictions. Empirical results support the theoretical hypothesis for tax districts in Delaware County, Ohio. The second essay, The Effect of Use-Value Assessment on Land Use Change in Rural and Suburban Areas, explores the effects of preferential property tax treatment for agricultural uses. A survival model is employed to explain the timing of farmland conversion to urban uses. Preferential tax assessment is found to be effective at slowing farmland conversion in a rural Ohio township, but ineffective in a suburban township closer to Columbus, Ohio. The third essay, The Capitalization of Property Taxes into the Prices of High and Low-Value Homes, employs a hedonic model to test the impact of local property taxes and large-lot zoning on housing values. The empirical results show mixed evidence to support the hypothesis that property taxes have a more negative impact on high-value homes as compared to low-value homes. The results also show a price premium on homes with small lots. This premium may be explained by a zoning induced shortage of small-lot homes.

Committee: Brent Sohngen (Advisor); Lynn Forster (Other); Larry Libby (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2006, Educational Administration and Supervision

The ability to have an alternative method of taxation via the school district income tax gives school boards in Ohio an approach toward remedying financial woes in addition to traditional property tax levies. However, making the determination of whether to select property tax, school district income tax, or a combination of both types of taxes can leave school officials and board members at a loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the school district income tax on the ability of rural Ohio school districts to maintain financial stability. The researcher investigated rural (as defined by the Ohio Department of Education) school districts in Ohio that have implemented a school district income tax and compared their need to return to the voters for new operational levy support (indicating a lack of financial stability at that point) with those districts who rely solely on property taxation. The results indicate that rural districts which utilized a combination of both school district income taxes and property taxes were able to stay “off the ballot” significantly longer before returning for new operational tax dollars than those districts which utilized only voted property taxation. It may be that this “balanced portfolio” approach of utilizing both types of taxation helps to provide strengthened economical support to school districts in the long run and, consequently, strengthened community support of local schools.

Committee: Patrick Pauken (Advisor) Subjects: