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The RGV's State of Schools
Exploring public and higher education in Deep South Texas
Senator lays out Texas school disparities
May 26th, 2011, 10:25 am · 1 Comment · posted by Neal Morton
Highest and least funded ISDs by Senate district (provided by Sen. Deuell and the Houston Chronicle)
Last week, state Sen. Bob Deuell, R – Greenville, stood on the Senate floor and breathlessly relayed some uncomfortable truths to his colleagues to demonstrate the vast disparities in Texas public school funding.
As senators prepared to approve Senate Bill 22 — one of three possible school finance formulas necessary to pass a state budget by Monday — Deuell listed the stark contrasts between each lawmakers’ most highly funded school districts and the lowest-funded district under the state’s current and convoluted school finance laws.
Click here to view the entire list, conveniently compiled by the Houston Chronicle.
Worth noting:
-The most lucrative district sits in Lubbock and draws $12,979 per student
-The most underfunded district is in Sen. Judith Zaffirini’s turf and only gets $3,732 per student
-That’s a statewide disparity of more than $9,000
If state lawmakers do not change formula funding this session — and most experts predict they will not — Texas parents will be stuck with the disparities, along with deep budget cuts, for at least the next two years.
(Watch the Senate floor action here. Click the May 20 Senate Session Part II link and fast forward to 1:54:00. You’ll need RealPlayer to view the archived chamber stream.)
In a letter he sent to fellow lawmakers Tuesday, Deuell explained that even a superintendent of a higher-funded district in his backyard found the inequitable system frustrating:
Lovejoy (ISD) received over $2,400 more per student than did Greenville. With that type of funding, they enjoy additional staff and programs that we cannot even dream about…I do not blame Lovejoy. I blame the system that tells our parents that their children are worth over $2,400 less than children in Lovejoy.
You can view Deuell’s letter here, read the Chronicle politics blogs here and view a “Texas School Finance for Dummies” video from Edinburg CISD below.
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What grand standing by Senator Deuell! How much do Lovejoy ISD Tax payers pay per student compared to Greenville. Lovejoy ISD passes TRE’s and Bonds and has much higher property values. If you look at what Lovejoy pays in taxes compared to what they get back from the State the RINO senator should be crying out in Lovejoy’s defense. The same hold true for Prosper, Argyle and numerous other districts across the state. The voters and tax payers within the supposed underfunded district need to fund their districts. The whole Independent School District Model is undermined by the state, and Senator Deuell seems to want to undermine it further. I’ve already called his office to express my displeasure with his comments.