Advocates Plan to Have a Say in Texas School Funding Debate

The Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools, launched on January 28, is a coalition of teachers, school board members, school administrators, parents and business leaders who support increased school funding. Led by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), the coalition wants to impact the outcome of the special legislative session on school finance that Gov. Rick Perry is expected to call later this month.

"The first priority of this coalition is to make sure that significant increased funding that helps all districts and children across Texas is the first priority of every legislator, every statewide official and on the agenda of any special session called this year by our Governor," said TASB president Bonnie Longnion.

Citing statistics showing that Texas currently ranks 47th in average SAT scores and 40th in graduation rates, the coalition says that additional funds are necessary to raise achievement levels of Texas' children. Bolstering their claim was the release of the Texas costing-out study released on March 4, 2004 that concluded money does matter when trying to boost student achievement. The coalition's guiding principles are capacity, equity, and local responsibility.

The push for reform is being driven by the crisis faced by many Texas school districts. As education costs have skyrocketed, many localities are unable to keep pace. Out of about 1,100 school districts, about 700 are at or approaching the $1.50 maintenance and operations limit allowed under the current system. At the same time, Texas' public school system continues to grow by approximately 70,000 students per year. Many lawmakers have vowed to reform the school finance system which allows for recapture of money from property-wealthy districts to be disbursed to property-poor districts (which is also the subject of a lawsuit). Some proposals include expanding the base of the sales tax, however others, such as levying a state property tax would require a Constitutional amendment.

The coalition's website provides the public and decision-makers a broad range of information and studies on school funding. Visitors are also able to sign up for weekly newsletters to stay informed about the issue as the special session approaches. There is also a "Take Action" section that provides a step-by-step guide on how to write one's representatives.

Prepared by Melissa Mangino, March 11, 2004.