AUSTIN, Texas – State District Judge John Dietz ruled today that the Texas school finance system is unconstitutional by ruling in favor of the Calhoun County ISD plaintiffs on both of their claims.  The Calhoun County ISD plaintiffs consist of a group of 89 school districts (many of them Texas School Coalition members) represented by Mark Trachtenberg and John Turner, attorneys with Haynes and Boone, LLP. Judge Dietz held that the school...

Mark Trachtenberg and John Turner, attorneys with Haynes and Boone, LLP, represent 88 school districts in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state school finance system.  They issued the following statements today after the trial of the lawsuit began: “Today, in opening arguments, we were pleased to present our two primary claims to the court.  First, school districts lack the funding they need to meet the State’s own...

Click to view full September 24 TXSC Press Release The Texas School Coalition (TXSC) submitted written testimony to a Joint Interim Committee that the Robin Hood system is expected to require districts to contribute more than $1 billion for the tenth year in a row, as the number of Robin Hood districts reaches a record high number. High Robin Hood growth was attributed to the fact that the threshold for determining whether school districts...

September 10 TXSC Press Release Robin Hood strikes 23 new school districts, 374 Texas districts New data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) shows a record number of school districts are now considered property wealthy under Chapter 41 of the Texas Education Code. A total of 374 school districts are subject to the recapture provisions of the law during the 2012-2013 school year, and 23 appear on the list for the first time. “The fact that...

Mark Trachtenberg, an attorney with Haynes and Boone, LLP, which represents 86 school districts (many of them Texas School Coalition members) in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state school finance system, issued the following statement today after state district Judge John Dietz set an October 22, 2012, trial date for the school finance lawsuit: “We are glad that the judge gave us a prompt trial date and put us on an...

Claiming the current school funding system violates provisions of the Texas Constitution, the Lake Travis Independent School District (LTISD) Board of Trustees will join more than 80 other property-wealthy districts in litigation against the state. The unanimous vote occurred during a regular meeting of the Board held February 23 at the District’s Educational Development Center. The Board’s action authorizes LTISD staff to engage the...