Uresti: Act now to fix school finance system
(AUSTIN) – State Sen. Carlos Uresti said Monday a judge’s ruling that the state’s school finance system is unconstitutional should spur the Legislature to enact reforms now and not wait on an appeal.
State District Judge John Dietz, ruling in the three-month long trial after both sides made their closing arguments, sided with plaintiffs in the case who argued that state money is inadequately and unfairly distributed to public schools.
The state is expected to appeal the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court, which Uresti said will merely delay the inevitable.
“Judge Dietz’s ruling is clear and unambiguous. Texas’ school finance system is broken and must be fixed,” Uresti said. “The Legislature should act now to create a system that is fair and efficient. With our children’s future at stake, the appeals process should not be used as an excuse for delay.”
Uresti, who chairs the Senate Hispanic Caucus, added that school finance reforms should reflect the new face of Texas.
“Latinos now account for more than half of all Texas public school students,” Uresti said. “The school funding system must account for the special needs of property poor districts, high dropout rates, and other challenges faced by this community.”
About two-thirds of the public school districts statewide joined in the suit, which went to trial on Oct. 22. Plaintiffs contended that the school finance system did not meet the Texas constitution’s requirement that it be adequate and efficient. The problem was made worse, they said, by the Legislature’s decision two years ago to cut $5.4 billion from public education.
Attorneys for the state contended that although the system is lacking, it is not unconstitutional.
“The state had to make that argument to defend the suit, but it’s a sad commentary on our priorities. It tells our children that mediocrity will do,” Uresti said. “We need to craft a school finance system that’s more than just legal, and we should do it now.”
