A controversial proposal known as the “65% Solution” is being considered in two different forms in Colorado. Already in place in various forms in four states (Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas through legislation and in Texas via a executive order signed by Governor Rick Perry), the plan calls for at least 65 percent of school spending to be used on what is defined as “classroom instruction.” Republicans in Colorado back a version of the proposal that defines classroom instruction very strictly, and Democrats support a looser definition in which more school expenses would qualify as part of the 65%. A non-partisan research group concluded this about the proposal’s merits, and consensus among the edu-world is that this proposal is more fluff than substance, unlikely to result in any real gains or impacts on student achievement. But the proposals do have the potential to reveal some interesting divides within the Republican party: while the 65% solution movement as a whole is a conservative one concerned with eliminating ‘wasteful’ school expenditures, true local rights proponents in the party are troubled by what would amount to a state fiat over how local school boards could decide to spend their money.

In Alabama, a constitutional amendment has been proposed that would require each of the state’s 131 school districts to meet a state-defined minimum local property tax level of 10 mills (approximately $100 in taxes per year on a $100,000 house). Currently, 30 of the state’s districts do not meet the floor, meaning that the amendment would raise taxes and school spending in a considerable number of schools. By way of comparison, Mississippi’s lowest local property tax rate is 22.45 mills, meaning that four out of five Alabama districts have lower property tax rates than the lowest district in Mississippi. While local rights proponents again cry foul at the state’s perceived intrusion into a local matter (“how much we spend on our schools should be our decision”), supporters of the amendment argue that persistently low levels of funding in so many of the state’s schools actually affect the entire state negatively. Alabama is currently ranked just 43rd in the nation in per-pupil school spending.

Another school funding measure, Michigan Proposal 5, approaches the school funding issue quite differently from Alabama. Rather than targeting local school districts and property tax rates, Proposal 5 would mandate that state K-12 and higher education spending be raised each year by an amount equal to or greater than the rate of inflation. Latest polls on the proposal show the issue to be a virtual dead heat in the minds of the voters.

In Nevada, another school spending initiative is in play. Nevada Question 1 proposes that state legislators must appropriate funds to education before any other line item, a nice gesture about making education a “first priority”, even if it is somewhat hollow. Why is it hollow? Because there is essentially no guidance for how much money must actually be budgeted for education, meaning that the state could continue to pony up minimal amounts for schools so long as it did so before setting funding levels for transportation, health care, and other line items.

A pair of controversial propositions are on the ballot in California, with both having a reasonable chance of passing. California Proposition 1D would raise $10.4 billion in bonds for public school facility upgrades, and Proposition 88 would create a new statewide parcel tax to supplement local property tax revenues that have been limited since the landmark passage of Proposition 13 in 1978.

A number of other ballot measures are up for a vote on Tuesday, including an Idaho sales tax for K-12 education, an early childhood education initiative in Nebraska (this article in support, this one against), and a Wyoming Amendment that would re-allow the state legislature to redistribute local property taxes to lower-income school districts. There are also higher education initiatives on at least six state ballots and a number of minor school funding measures as well.