Financing Education in a Climate of Change

A user-friendly, practical examination of the issues impacting education finance today

Retaining the practical tone and superior presentation that made the previous editions best sellers, this new edition of Financing Education in a Climate of Change presents the most up-to-date information and material available in the dynamic field of school finance. Easy-to-understand tables and figures, thought provoking end-of-chapter assignments, new chapter learning objectives, and practical budget and accounting examples help readers gain a firmer understanding of all facets of financing education. The 13th Edition adds information on classic and current topics, including the economics of education, recent court decisions, 50-state comparison tables, state taxes, and the ongoing debate about school vouchers, tax credits, church-state issues, and charter schools.

About our authors

Deborah Verstegen, PhD is a professor of educational leadership, College of Education, University of Nevada, Reno. She served as Edwin J. O'Leary Endowed Chair of Financial Management, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and was a professor of finance and policy in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia for nearly 2 decades. Prior to joining the university community she was a teacher, administrator and legislative aide in state government. She has had teaching experience at all levels, from pre-school, elementary and secondary to community college and university. Her administrative experience in education is also broad. She has been a central office administrator for a K-12 school system in Alaska's Iditarod Area School District, Director of the Mid-management Program at the University of Texas at Austin, and Department Chair in Educational Leadership at UNR. She is author or co-author of over 300 books, articles, monographs, and chapters, including Financing Education in a Climate of Change. Professor Verstegen has developed an equity statistic, later given her name by scholars, called the "Verstegen Index." The focus of her scholarship is on equal opportunity and justice in the area of education finance, and the fiscal aspects of education policy at the state and national levels. Professor Verstegen has been active in school finance litigation, serving as an expert witness, as a consultant with government and education organizations, and in numerous professional organizations. She has served twice on the Board of Directors for the national education finance association. She is a past editor of the Journal of Education Finance and currently serves as policy editor. Her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, awarded her an alumnae achievement award. She was named Distinguished National Fellow in Finance by the National Education Finance Academy, and a recent recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Robert C. Knoeppel, PhD is the Dean of the College of Education at the University of South Florida. In his position, Knoeppel plays a key role in shaping a distinctive vision for the future of the college that maintains alignment with USF’s strategic priorities. An experienced higher education leader and nationally recognized researcher, Knoeppel was previously a professor and chair of the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development at Clemson University. Knoeppel’s work has been regularly published in the Journal of Education Finance and Educational Considerations, and he has authored over 100 refereed journal publications, book chapters, technical reports and conference papers in the field of education finance, education reform and educational leadership over the course of his career. Knoeppel held an academic appointment at the University of Kentucky, where he led courses in educational leadership studies. He also worked for several years in the Virginia public school system as a school counselor, administrator and coach. Knoeppel serves as President Elect and a member of the board of trustees of the National Education Finance Academy, where he earned the Scholarly Paper of the Year Award for 3 consecutive years.

Dr. Vern Brimley has been a public school administrator for over 30 years, retiring as administrative assistant to the superintendent of Provo City Schools. In the span of his career, he has been director of federal programs; involved in school purchasing, research, and public relations; a consultant for several school districts; and worked as an elementary teacher and principal. Additionally, he served on the State of Utah committee delegated by the Utah State Legislature to study the Utah School Finance system. Twelve major changes resulted from this study, including equalization of capital outlay budgets. Dr. Brimley also taught in a secondary modern school in Great Britain for a year on a Fulbright Exchange scholarship. He was selected as 1 of 40 educational administrators from throughout the US and Canada to participate in the initial intensive 2-month study program under the sponsorship of the National Academy for School Executives (NASE), the training arm of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), and the Danforth Foundation. The Study-Leave Fellowship provided the opportunity for Dr. Brimley to study the financial structure of state educational systems and state departments of education. He was designated as an Innovative Educator by the Kettering Foundation. Dr. Brimley was a student of Professor Percy Burrup and did research for the 1st Edition of Financing Education in a Climate of Change, and was co-author of the 3rd Edition with Professor Burrup. After Dr. Burrup’s death, he teamed with Dr. Rulon Garfield to write the 4th through 11th Editions, and with Dr. Deborah Verstegen as co-author for the 11th and 12th Editions. Dr. Brimley served as an Adjunct Professor at Brigham Young University and has taught many education leadership courses, but specialized in school finance and school business management. He has presented papers at conferences including the American Education Finance Association and has written articles on various education issues. He is married to Dawn Baker Brimley. They are the parents of 3 daughters and have 10 grandchildren.