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Over
the past decade Texas’ school districts have been faced with increases
in enrollment, special needs populations, curriculum and testing requirements,
state and federal mandates, technology and facilities needs, healthcare
and teachers salaries and the cost of utilities, fuel and insurance.
Even though the legislature has appropriated additional money to schools
in the last three sessions, it hasn’t been nearly enough to keep
up with the rising costs of education. Additionally, because the current
system is so heavily reliant on local property taxes the state has been
able to take advantage of the rise in state property values and recapture
of property wealthy districts to continually reduce its share of school
funding. For the 2002-03 school year the state will only fund 40% of
public education compared with almost 80% in 1950.
Due to the State’s abdication of its role in funding public education
the current school finance system is in crisis! With 40% of all districts
taxing at the maximum allowable rate we have exhausted over 98% of the
capacity for generating revenues and as a result more and more school
districts are being forced to scale back or eliminate essential programs.
The Coalition proposes the following short and long term plans for dealing
with the crisis. The short term plan is designed to allow districts
to maintain current programs for the next two years while the legislature
develops a new school finance system to be completed by the end of the
2005 session.
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