State lotteries as revenue sources for public elementary and secondary education

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of state lotteries as sources funding for public elementary and secondary education. The population consisted of 39 executive directors from state school board associations and the District of Columbia.A questionnaire of 22 items addressing lottery adoption, operation, performance, revenue dedication and distribution, proponent expectations, and school board member expectations was utilized. The questionnaire focused upon seven basic research questions.Findings1. Legislators in twenty-two states formally approved state lotteries between 1971 and 1989.2. Thirteen (fifty-nine percent) of twenty-two state lotteries in operation were approved by state legislatures between 1985 and 1989.3. Proponents in fifteen (73 percent) of adopting states cited "benefits to special interest groups" as an adoption rationale.4. Legislatures in four states dedicated 100 percent of lottery revenues to public elementary and secondary education.5.Fiscally successful lotteries have effective marketing and good organization/structure.6. The fiscal success of lotteries was limited by a multitude of factors, none of which represented more than 27 percent of responses.7. Measurement of lottery revenues to education was difficult due to the methods of distribution, and sparse data.8. Four of six state lotteries have revenues dedicated to education distributed funds through equalization grants.9. Lottery revenues met or exceeded the expectations of 81 percent of proponents.10. Lottery revenues to education met the expectations of 22 percent of school board members.11. Proponents in states where a lottery had been considered but not adopted cited each of three rationales 65 percent of the time. The rationales were: 1) lottery participation is voluntary, unlike a tax, 2) lotteries raise state revenue without raising taxes, and 3) benefits to special interest groups.12.Opponents in states where the legislature had considered but not adopted a lottery cited the rationale "lotteries are morally wrong" 100 percent of the time.Thesis (D. Ed.