Charles A. Luke

Abstract: Public schools are faced with difficult financial decisions given the shape of the economy. This article outlines several methods for campus-based leaders to make good financial decisions that will allow them to retain educational benefit for their students.

Abstract: Texas public schools facilities funding system is based primarily on the ability of school districts to levy taxes for facilities improvement through bonded indebtedness. This article deals with the effect of this system on wealth neutrality for all Texas public school students.

Abstract: Texas public schools facilities funding system is based primarily on the ability of school districts to levy taxes for facilities improvement through bonded indebtedness. This article deals with the effect of this system on horizontal and vertical equity for all Texas public school students.

Abstract: If organizations want to be successful they must first address the motivational and development needs of their people. The best way to do this is through appropriate and effective leadership models. For organizations that are focused on benevolent outcomes for people, this means finding and empowering the right kind of leaders to do the job. Servant-leaders who focus on the needs of others first, are critical to the organizational health of any non-profit or charitable institution. Organizations should look for those leaders who listen to others; are empathetic; are committed to healing; are self-aware and generally aware; lead through persuasion rather than force; are visionary and conceptualize future needs and realities far in advance; have strong foresight regarding probable outcomes; are good stewards of organizational and individual trust; are committed to the growth of others; and are committed to building a sense of community among those in the institution. Only when they begin to focus on servant-leadership will institutions be truly successful.

Abstract: Several fundamental principles must be considered to determine whether or not a long-lasting democracy can be established in Iraq. First, almost all democracies are established from within as regional expression demands inclusion in governmental affairs. Second, democracies have long developmental histories and oftern require generations to take hold in a region. Third, democracies are cultural affairs and generally spring from the cultural backgrounds of individuals and their needs. The U.S. administration must win the support of the Iraqui people. The best way to do so is by giving them an interest and control in the development of their own country that allows gradual change, provides local economic incentives, allows the development of supportive institutions, and provides for continued sustainability through education.

Abstract: Responses by governments to the threat of terrorism may create mass socio-genic illness among certain populations. Do governments have a responsibility to their citizenship to avoid the amplification of the threat of terrorism in order to prevent pyschological responses that may inadvertently add to the effects of the threat of chemical, biological, guerrilla and conventional warfare?

Abstract: The need to establish appropriate, adequate, and decent educational facilities for school children across the nation has been well-established. The ability of school districts in each state to build these facilities has varied widely in the past. Historically, most facilities funding ability for school districts has come from the local community and has been tied to property wealth and the ability of the community to raise significant tax dollars to pay for school buildings. Responding to an expanding need for increased facilities funding and school funding litigation, the state of Texas added facilities funding mechanisms for public school facilities construction in the late 1990s. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the methods of facilities funding were equitable in the state of Texas. In this study, equity values were framed around three equity concepts established in school funding equity literature. These three concepts were (1) horizontal equity defined as the equal treatment of equals, (2) vertical equity defined as the unequal treatment of unequals, and (3) wealth neutrality defined as the absence of a relationship between school district wealth and the equal opportunity of students. The sample comprised 1,039 school districts in the state of Texas. Well-established equity measures were administered to data including capital outlays, weighted per pupil capital outlays, instructional facilities allotments, and school district wealth. Horizontal equity measures included the McLoone index, the Verstegen index, the federal range ratio, and the coefficient of variation tests. The Odden-Picus Adequacy index (OPAI) was administered to determine levels of vertical equity. Finally, wealth neutrality was determined utilizing the Pearson product-moment correlation test. Findings indicated that there were poor horizontal equity levels both in the top half and bottom half of the distribution of capital outlay spenders. A coefficient of variation test was administered to determine overall horizontal equity. While it did not indicate poor overall horizontal equity, the existence of extreme outliers in both halves of the distribution indicated that the dispersion of spending at the top and bottom of the distribution were inequitable. In fact, over the three year period of the study, fifteen percent of the top spending districts spent between forty and fifty percent of all capital outlay expenditures. Vertical equity was tested by implementing a court mandated equalization standard of eighty-five percent. When the OPAI was administered at this equity level, vertical equity was poorer than horizontal equity. Finally, while some state implemented facilities funding mechanisms were wealth-neutral, the overall funding system, with its heavy reliance on bonded indebtedness, was not.