AFP On the Texas School Finance Lawsuit
AUSTIN - Raise your hands, Texans! You are subject to a shakedown.
Today begins a months-long, billion-dollar financial shakedown cloaked as school finance. The early portion of the trial focuses on funding adequacy.
Again, Texas school districts are using tax dollars to sue the state for more tax dollars.
The lawsuit may be done in the name of the kids, but it isn’t about the kids.
Lawyers will be the big winners as they will likely be paid millions of our tax dollars to perpetuate this heist.
This school finance lawsuit has a new challenge. This round, taxpayers have entered the lawsuit challenging the efficiency in which education dollars are spent, as is required in the state constitution.
According to the Comptroller’s office, K-12 education funding has increased at a rate of five times faster than student enrollment growth from 1999-2009. But student performance isn’t reflecting that additional investment.
Taxpayers will ask how we can determine if the funding is adequate if the spending is inefficient, when half of the education funds are spent on instruction and the average school district has one non-teacher for each teacher.
Taxpayers should demand greater efficiency in education funding rather than simply continue to pour more money into the system.
The current system is unconstitutional because it is inefficient.
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