AUSTIN, Texas– The Texas Commission on Public School Finance concluded its work today and adopted its final report and recommendations to the 86th Texas Legislature.
In response to that, the Texas School Coalition released the following statement:
“The Texas School Coalition appreciates the many hours that members of the School Finance Commission have put into their work over the last year learning about the increasingly serious challenges facing public education in our growing state.
“We are also grateful that the Commission takes seriously the growing burden that Robin Hood has put on taxpayers in hundreds of school districts across Texas. School districts are sending away $2.6 billion in Robin Hood payments this year, and we believe the Commission is sincere in its desire to stem the growth of Robin Hood before it gets even further out of control.
“We are concerned that some of these recommendations merely shift existing dollars around and could cause some districts to lose funding. We hope the Legislature will instead make the meaningful investment needed to help all students succeed. Property tax relief is needed and important, but Texas students are more important. Those students should be the priority.
“Hopefully, the Legislature will build upon these recommendations and make the substantial investment in public schools that Texans expect and our students deserve. The best way to reduce Robin Hood and improve education is to significantly increase state funding for education. We appreciate the Commission’s work. Now it’s time for the Legislature to act.”
###