Holt Updates School Financing Textbook With Information on Widening Gap

University Relations

Carleton Holt

Carleton Holt, University of Arkansas emeritus associate professor, recently published the fourth edition of his textbook, School Bond Success: A Strategy for Building America's Schools.

Holt retired last summer after 18 years of teaching and conducting research in the educational leadership program in the College of Education and Health Professions.

The book published by Rowman and Littlefield serves as a practical guide for superintendents considering a bond initiative to fund school facility improvements. Holt, who retired as an associate professor of educational leadership, also has more than 30 years of experience as a band director, coach and school administrator in public schools in Iowa and South Dakota.

School Bond Success contains Holt's research on successful marketing of school bond issues and millage rate increases. In the new edition, he writes about the widening gap between the cost of maintaining and building new facilities and the amount of money schools have to spend on these needs.

"There is no way they will ever catch up," he said.

The book also includes new information on the work needed to find out what voters, in particular senior citizens, are thinking before a bond issue or millage increase goes up for a vote.

"Winners knew what to do because they talked to voters ahead of the election," Holt said. "They knew what ticked voters off and what made them happy. Losing districts did none of this."