EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD ROLE AS RELATED TO LEVEL OF LOCAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND ALLOCATION OF EXPENDITURES.

TWO HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED--(1) NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP EXISTS BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD ROLE AND THE LEVEL OF LOCAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT, AND (2) NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP EXISTS BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS FOR SELECTED EXPENDITURES AND THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR THESE EXPENDITURES. EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD ROLE WERE MEASURED BY AN INTERVIEW INSTRUMENT IN 12 WISCONSIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. SUBJECTS OF THE STUDY WERE 150 CITIZENS, 20 TEACHERS, AND ALL SCHOOL AND MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS. THE FIRST HYPOTHESIS WAS SUBJECTED TO 16 SEPARATE TESTS, AND ONLY ONE PROVED SIGNIFICANT. THE SECOND, SUBJECTED TO 36 TESTS, RESULTED IN NINE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS (NOT ENOUGH TO REJECT THE HYPOTHESIS). IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM THE STUDY INCLUDED--(1) HOLDING PREFERENCES FOR PARTICULAR SCHOOL PROGRAMS MAY NOT BE THE SAME AS BEING WILLING TO PAY FOR THEM, (2) THERE MAY BE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESPONDING FAVORABLY TOWARD FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS IN AN INTERVIEW AND ACTUAL FINANCIAL COMMITMENT, (3) EXPECTATIONS FOR EXPENDITURES MAY NOT EXIST AS A SINGLE IDENTIFIABLE CONCEPT, AND (4) THE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS WHICH WERE FOUND WERE ACTUALLY INSIGNIFICANT ITEMS IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL SCHOOL BUDGET. (HW)