INEQUALITY AND THE REFERENDUM LEVY

This study examines whether or not the referendum levy generates revenue disparities among school districts. More specifically, we hypothesize that if the referendum levy generates inequalities in school finance, a positive relationship will exist between: (1) district property wealth and use of the referendum; (2) district property wealth and the size of the referendum levy; and (3) district property wealth and revenue raised by the referendum levy. The discretionary levy is included throughout the analysis because, being equalized, it provides a relevant contrast to the referendum levy