School Finance in Texas
by Jeff Srygley
January 05, 2012
School finance in Texas has been a hot topic in Miami since 1993 which was the inception of share the wealth or Robin Hood. Roberts County tax payers have sent $62,003,443 to date in the state’s attempt to equalize wealth. The school district has been involved in two previous lawsuits against the state because of school finance. The current school finance law does not adequately fund school districts in Texas. Lawmakers have cut funding to Texas public schools rather than deal with a structural tax deficit created by the Legislature in 2006 when they cut property taxes by a third without designating a sufficient stream of revenue to replace that loss and exacerbated in 2009 when lawmakers used $3 billion of federal stimulus money meant for one-time expenditures to supplant state funding.
The Miami school board has decided to join a lawsuit filed by the Texas School Coalition which is expected to last up to three years. The Texas School Coalition is organized for the purpose of bringing together independent school districts that have an interest in improving the school funding laws for all school districts. The organization provides research, information and consultation regarding school finance legislation.
The Texas School Coalition goal for the litigation is to assure that all school districts are adequately funded and have available significant additional taxing capacity to provide local enrichment for their students. Success should benefit all school districts by requiring the Legislature to provide new funds and new capacity in the system. Achieving a victory in court should better enable school districts to educate our State’s next generation of citizens.
Below are the school districts that have joined the school finance lawsuit as of December 9.
School Districts Represented by Haynes and Boone, LLP
in Connection with School Finance Litigation
Plaintiff school districts:
Calhoun County ISD
Abernathy ISD
Aransas County ISD
Frisco ISD
Lewisville ISD
Richardson ISD
Other represented school districts:
Alamo Heights ISD
Andrews ISD
Barbers Hill ISD
Beckville ISD
Blackwell ISD
Borden Co. ISD
Bushland ISD
Canadian ISD
Crane ISD
Denver City ISD
Devers ISD
Eanes ISD
Forsan ISD
Galveston ISD
Glasscock Co. ISD
Godley ISD
Grady ISD
Granbury ISD
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Highland Park ISD (Dallas)
Iraan-Sheffield ISD
Jacksboro ISD
Jayton-Girard ISD
Krum ISD
Levelland ISD
Loop ISD
Lovejoy ISD
Malakoff ISD
McCamey ISD
Miami ISD
Northwest ISD
Palacios ISD
Palo Pinto ISD
Plains ISD
Plano ISD
Point Isabel ISD
Ponder ISD
Post ISD
Prairie Valley ISD
Pringle-Morse CISD
Rankin ISD
Reagan County ISD
Refugio ISD
Robert Lee ISD
Rockwall ISD
Seminole ISD
Sterling City ISD
Sundown ISD
Sunnyvale ISD
Sunray ISD
Terrell County ISD
Texas City ISD
Wimberley ISD
Wink-Loving ISD
Additional school districts are expected to formally join the coalition at upcoming school board meetings.
