research on problems of financing elementary and secondary education

research on problems of financing elementary and secondary education Sec. 809. (a) The Congress finds that— (1) insufficient national concern has been focused upon the escalating operating expenses and construction costs faced by school districts, including serious inequities within and among States in financial support of elementary and secondary education; (2) taxpayer resistance to the existing tax structure is growing and school bond issues and budget requests are being rejected; (3) school districts are facing serious fiscal crises as they approach or exceed statutory limits on taxing and bonding authority; and (4) there is a need for additional knowledge to solve these problems. (b) It is the purpose of this section— (1) to provide for research and reports on such problems under the Cooperative Research Act; and (2) to provide for a National Commission on School Finance to study such problems and report to the Commissioner and the Congress within two years. (c) Section 2(a) of the Cooperative Research Act is amended by inserting at the end thereof the following: “(3) The Commissioner shall, pursuant to his authority under this Act, provide for research regarding the problems of financing elementary and secondary education. Such research shall include, but not lie limited to, recommendations concerning— “(A) an appropriate division of responsibility among local, State, and the Federal Government in financing elementary and secondary education; “(B) an appropriate balance of categorical aid, general aid, and school construction aid in the total Federal responsibility for financing elementary and secondary education; “(C) new approaches to relieve the fiscal crisis now facing the schools; “(D) the use of Federal revenue sharing for supporting elementary and secondary education; and “(E) methods to minimize variations within and among States in per pupil expenditures for elementary and secondary education. The Commissioner shall make a preliminary report to the Congress not later than one hundred and twenty days after the date of enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1969 identifying all existing federally financed research in this area (whether authorized under this or any other Act) and the current status of such research. Thereafter, the Commissioner shall report the84 Stat. 194results of, and recommendations with respect to, research under this paragraph as a separate and distinct part of his annual report pursuant to subsection (d).” (d) The Commissioner shall, not later than ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act, establish a National Commission on School Finance. Such Commission shall consist of fifteen members appointed from (1) members of State and local educational agencies, (2) State and local government officials, (3) education administrators, (4) teachers, (5) financial experts, (6) parents with one or more children in a public elementary or secondary school, (7) the Office of Education, (8) the Department of the Treasury, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, and (9) other appropriate fields. The Commissioner shall appoint a chairman and vice chairman from among such members. Such Commission shall make a full and complete investigation and study of the financing of elementary and secondary education, including, but not limited to, the matters referred to in section 2(a)(3) of the Cooperative Research Act (as amended by subsection (c) of this section). The Commission shall report the results of such investigation and study and its recommendations to the Commissioner and the Congress not later than two years after the date of enactment of this Act. Funds available for the purposes of the Cooperative Research Act and for the purposes of section 402 of Public Law 90–247 shall be available for the purposes of this subsection.