The Serrano case: policy for education or for public finance?

John A. Pincus

Expert InsightsPublished 1977

In the Serrano case, first ruled on in 1971 and reaffirmed on appeal in 1976, the California Supreme Court declared the state's school finance system unconstitutional, because it made the quality of a student's education depend on the property wealth of his community. The 1971 decision led to changes in the state's school finance system which, according to the 1976 decision, were inadequate, and now new reforms are proposed, which will probably fail the constitutional test. The problem is that Serrano is a blow for equity, but is inconsistent with other important goals of a school finance system: efficiency and acceptable cost levels. The consequences are likely to be either Supreme Court acceptance of legislative action, changes in the state constitution, or confrontation between the courts and state government. In any event, California schools are likely to be more equitably funded, but at the cost of progress in educational reform.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1977
  • Pages: 22
  • Document Number: P-5791

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Pincus, John A., The Serrano case: policy for education or for public finance? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1977. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5791.html.
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