Representative Nevárez Reacts to School Finance Ruling

Austin — A judge declared Texas’ school finance system unconstitutional again Thursday, finding that even though the Legislature added back $3 billion-plus into classrooms last summer the state still fails to provide adequate funding or distribute it fairly among school districts in wealthy and poor areas. For many legislators like Representative Poncho Nevárez (D-Eagle Pass), this is not a surprise.

“I am happy to hear about the ruling, however, we should not have waited for this issue to be addressed in the court system,” Nevárez states. “After the Republican-led 82nd Legislature cut $5.4 billion from public education, it was crucial that we fought to restore that funding in the 83rd. Adding $3.7 billion back to school funding was not the solution to ease the pain of the cuts from the session before. Like I have said in the past, more must be done! It is inexcusable for a State that pounds its chest on being first in everything is almost dead last in funding per pupil”

State District Judge John Dietz’s written ruling reaffirms a verbal decision he issued from the bench in February 2013. He declared then that the state’s so-called “Robin Hood” funding formula fails to meet the Texas Constitution’s requirements for a fair and efficient system that provides a “general diffusion of knowledge.” He found that the system levies local property taxes in a way tantamount to a state income tax, which is also constitutionally prohibited. The judge also found persistent inequities between property-poor school districts and their wealthier neighbors, and he determined that some districts had little discretion over their tax rates, violating a constitutional ban on a statewide property tax.