Jack W. Osman

Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics,

San Francisco State University

Jack W. Osman was professor emeritus of economics in the Department of Economics at San Francisco State University. He was previously chair of the Department of Economics and held faculty positions at the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago. A specialist in education finance and regional economics, his research focused on school funding, resource allocation, and economic policy analysis. He was the author of multiple reports on K–12 education finance, including work for Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). Osman was a fellow of the Western Regional Science Association and was recognized as a noteworthy economics educator by Marquis Who's Who. He earned his PhD and MA in economics from Rutgers University and his BS in industrial engineering from Rutgers University.

updated 2025

Contributing topics

Education finance

Publications by Jack W. Osman

June 1990

Revenue and Expenditure Projections

California K–12 Education 1991–1995

This report discusses the importance of forecasting revenues and expenditures for public sector planning and budgeting. It highlights three characteristics of California's recent experience. First, K-12 funding rose 91% from 1980 to 1989, but real…

March 1985

Revenue and Expenditure Projections for California K–12 Education

1985–86 Through 1989–90

Expenditures for elementary and secondary education in California must rise by about 59 percent between 1983–84 and the end of the decade just to maintain the status quo in terms of real per-student spending.