Texas School Finance System

On Tuesday, February 5, 2013, The Austin Chronicle published an article titled Judge: Texas School Finance System Unconstitutional.  The article focuses on the public education funding system, and the problems of this system which have been deemed by Judge John Dietz to be unconstitutional.  Many of our state politicians and leaders are now calling for immediate action, and for new equal funding to be a top priority for Texas' public education system.

Coming from a school district with many budget problems, I saw first hand why our current system is lacking efficiency.  I could not agree more with the statement from Texas AFT President Linda Bridges, "It is inadequate, providing insufficient funding to school districts to meet state achievement targets. It is inequitable, failing to distribute school aid in a manner that gives all students a fair chance to succeed regardless of local property wealth. And it leaves rich and poor districts alike with no meaningful discretion over their local tax rates as they struggle to raise the funds to try to meet state mandates."

This article is very informative, and should be a top priority for most citizens of the state of Texas.  At some point in the majority of our lives, we were in the Texas public education system.  Our education system needs reform, and proper funding will help progress the state of Texas in the direction of equality and fairness.  The progression will allow a better school system, higher success rates, and many more positive enhancements that will continue to be seen for many generations.