The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on the state budget, pointing out that recapture has reached nearly $5 billion per year and schools need help meeting the increased costs caused by a 14.5% rate of inflation.
The Biennial Revenue Estimate from Comptroller Glenn Hegar states that recapture is expected to reach nearly $5 billion during Fiscal Year 2023.
The state took $3.2 billion in local taxpayer funding out of school districts during the past year through Robin Hood recapture. This record-high amount of recapture came as school districts struggled to fully staff campuses and battled cost increases driven by high inflation.
The Coalition provided testimony to the House Public Education Committee on school finance. Since HB 3, inflation has increased by 12%, while school funding has been flat. Since recapture was reduced by HB 3, it has increased by 25%.
Statement from Christy Rome, Executive Director of the Texas School Coalition, concerning the revised estimate of a state surplus and the funding needs of public schools.
The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Education Committee on school finance. Since HB 3, inflation has increased by 9%, while school funding has been flat. Since recapture was reduced by HB 3, it has increased by 22%.
The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on property tax relief. Limitations to relief mean some taxpayers are paying more, while schools are not beneficiaries of the increased payments. Schools do not receive automatic increases, and a balanced approach is needed.
The Coalition provided testimony to the Senate Finance Committee as they studied the impact of inflation on state and local governments. Schools are struggling to keep up with inflationary costs and to attract and retain a highly qualified teaching workforce.
Some people have recently tried to downplay the impact of recapture on schools and taxpayers by saying the State and the federal government have already made sizable investments to help our schools. These points are recommended to provide some important context and facts.
The State of Texas is increasingly and alarmingly removing local property tax dollars from school districts through the process of recapture, the Texas School Coalition explains in a newly released report.