Texas education funding measures stalled this session
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
School districts across Texas were hoping some of the state's $33 billion surplus would trickle down into their budgets and help them address inflation.
The big picture: Schools, homeowners and businesses were all vying for a cut of the state's unprecedented surplus — but politics got in the way.
Context: School districts are funded through a combination of sources, including property taxes and state and federal funding.
- Many school districts are expecting to end 2023-24 with budget deficits that they blame on lawmakers' unwillingness to increase their funding.
Catch up fast: Senate Bill 8 would have offered $8,000 per student per year for leaving public school to enroll in a private school or go into homeschooling. The voucher-like program was heavily debated this legislative session.
- House Bill 100, backed by school districts across Texas, would have increased teacher pay and the state funds that districts receive per student to help account for inflation.
- Toward the end of the session, the Senate added the voucher-like program to HB 100 as part of a last-ditch effort to advance it.
- Lawmakers weren't able to reach an agreement over the new HB 100, and the bill failed entirely.
What they're saying: "Holding teacher pay raises hostage to give public money to private schools is just wrong," Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde tweeted this month.
Zoom in: Frisco ISD's 2023-24 budget anticipates a $24 million deficit, which the district says is because of lawmakers' unwillingness to pass House Bill 100 and increase their per-student funding.
- Kimberly Smith, the district's chief finance and strategy officer, said in a letter to trustees that she was hopeful "the declaration of support for teacher recruitment and retention from our state lawmakers would translate into meaningful legislation benefiting the hundreds of thousands of teachers and staff."
- "Instead, our legislature focused on education savings accounts, or 'vouchers,' to fund private schools, and public education bills were held hostage as a negotiating tool," Smith wrote.
Between the lines: A push for stricter gun laws, championed by the Uvalde shooting victims' families, also stalled this session as lawmakers focused on school safety measures instead.
What we're watching: Gov. Greg Abbott can still call a special session to revive the discussion over using public funds to help families pay for private education.