Panel votes to end school finance system
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
The Legislature took the first step toward eliminating its system for paying
for public schools Tuesday night.
The House Public Education Committee voted 6-2 to repeal the system no later
than
Rep. Kent Grusendorf, the Arlington Republican who
leads the committee, said his House Bill 604 is designed to send a message:
"We're serious about the problem."
He said it is better for lawmakers to impose a deadline for fixing school
finance and the tax system that supports it than to wait for the courts to do
it.
"This announces a death sentence for
Robin Hood," Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, said.
The Legislature is a long way from ending the system that makes
property-wealthy districts share tax dollars with poor districts. Yet Grusendorf vowed to begin work on it right away.
Opponents warned that killing off Robin Hood without knowing what replaces
it could force legislators to make a bad choice someday.
The two-hour hearing brought testimony from all sides. Almost everyone
agreed that the system relies too much on local property taxes. But some
worried that the Legislature might fail to keep the system fair.
"Once the link between the rich and poor is broken, the equity gains
will be lost," said Wayne Pierce, director of the
John Connolly, director of the Texas School Coalition of property-wealthy
districts, applauded Grusendorf's efforts. But he
warned that the price of fixing the system won't be cheap.
"We're underfunded," he testified. As to
whether the state is providing an adequate education to all of its students,
Connolly said, "We're not adequate."