WGU D023 School Financial Leadership
2025/2026 Exam Questions and Answers
| 100% Solved
1st Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The period of
local district financial responsibility, with little or no assistance from the
state
-used to be local or church
-rate bills or tuition
-problem in equity
2nd Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The period of
emerging state responsibility, with the use of flat grants, subventions, and
other nonequalizing state allocations to local districts
-state to supplement local tax revenues to provide acceptable programs
,3rd Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The
emergence of the Strayer-Haig concept of a foundation program (minimum
program)
-Each local district would levy the amount of local tax that was required in
the richest district of the state to provide a foundation, or minimum,
program. The rich district would receive no state funds; the other districts
would receive state funds necessary to provide the foundation program.
4th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The period of
refinement of the foundation program concept
-use of flat grants
-question to take money from wealthy districts to equalize
5th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔"Power" or
"open-end" (shared costs) equalization practices
-20th century
Equalization - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔state and local districts began exercising a
degree of partnership in establishing and paying for a basic program of
education for every school-age child in the state—at least in theory. In
practice, the link between funding and program quality was questionable.
,open-ended, or shared-cost, equalization plan - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔the
percentage of this program to be paid by each individual district and by the
state. This percentage of state funds would be high for poor districts and
low for wealthier ones. Once that determination has been made for each
district, the same partnership ratio would be maintained to pay the total
cost of the school program in each district
-Harlan Updegraff
6th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The shift of
emphasis and influence, and funding for special need
-economic factors influenced (wars, terrorist attacks, natural disasters,
fluctuating prices in energy, had to rethink budget and safety of schools
7th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔A focus on
adequacy in education finance
-court cases
-sufficient funding is needed to meet state laws, standards, and
requirements, and must be constitutionally enforceable
-CCSS
COPYRIGHT©JOSHCLAY 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
3
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
, Foundational funding - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The state provides a minimal level of
funding as a guarantee per student expenditure. The intent of this system is
to counteract the disparity of wealth across various districts of a state.
Common School Era - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Local school districts were formed to
support the education of the local population, many of whom were the
children of immigrants. In order to accommodate this influx of educational
need with limited personal resources, local property taxes became
mandated to support public schools.
Early Colonial Schooling - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Funded through tuition or rate
changes, primarily as a funding of the local community or church of that
community.
Funding for public schools is directly addressed in which document? -
🧠ANSWER ✔✔State Constitution
-The funding and operation of public schools is directly addressed in each
state's constitution. Access to education and the quality are different
depending upon how the state defines its language. For example, a "right"
to education is different than a "goal" to educate all citizens. A "right"
2025/2026 Exam Questions and Answers
| 100% Solved
1st Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The period of
local district financial responsibility, with little or no assistance from the
state
-used to be local or church
-rate bills or tuition
-problem in equity
2nd Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The period of
emerging state responsibility, with the use of flat grants, subventions, and
other nonequalizing state allocations to local districts
-state to supplement local tax revenues to provide acceptable programs
,3rd Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The
emergence of the Strayer-Haig concept of a foundation program (minimum
program)
-Each local district would levy the amount of local tax that was required in
the richest district of the state to provide a foundation, or minimum,
program. The rich district would receive no state funds; the other districts
would receive state funds necessary to provide the foundation program.
4th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The period of
refinement of the foundation program concept
-use of flat grants
-question to take money from wealthy districts to equalize
5th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔"Power" or
"open-end" (shared costs) equalization practices
-20th century
Equalization - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔state and local districts began exercising a
degree of partnership in establishing and paying for a basic program of
education for every school-age child in the state—at least in theory. In
practice, the link between funding and program quality was questionable.
,open-ended, or shared-cost, equalization plan - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔the
percentage of this program to be paid by each individual district and by the
state. This percentage of state funds would be high for poor districts and
low for wealthier ones. Once that determination has been made for each
district, the same partnership ratio would be maintained to pay the total
cost of the school program in each district
-Harlan Updegraff
6th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The shift of
emphasis and influence, and funding for special need
-economic factors influenced (wars, terrorist attacks, natural disasters,
fluctuating prices in energy, had to rethink budget and safety of schools
7th Development Stage of School Finance - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔A focus on
adequacy in education finance
-court cases
-sufficient funding is needed to meet state laws, standards, and
requirements, and must be constitutionally enforceable
-CCSS
COPYRIGHT©JOSHCLAY 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY
3
STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
, Foundational funding - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The state provides a minimal level of
funding as a guarantee per student expenditure. The intent of this system is
to counteract the disparity of wealth across various districts of a state.
Common School Era - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Local school districts were formed to
support the education of the local population, many of whom were the
children of immigrants. In order to accommodate this influx of educational
need with limited personal resources, local property taxes became
mandated to support public schools.
Early Colonial Schooling - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Funded through tuition or rate
changes, primarily as a funding of the local community or church of that
community.
Funding for public schools is directly addressed in which document? -
🧠ANSWER ✔✔State Constitution
-The funding and operation of public schools is directly addressed in each
state's constitution. Access to education and the quality are different
depending upon how the state defines its language. For example, a "right"
to education is different than a "goal" to educate all citizens. A "right"
