Texas Property Tax Ruled Unconstitutional

[mojavekid]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051122/ap_on_re_us/texas_school_finance

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Supreme Court declared Tuesday that the property tax system that supports the state's public schools is unconstitutional, and it gave the Legislature until June 1 to come up with a new way to pay for education.

snip...

The plaintiffs argued that the state contribution for local education is insufficient and that in order to meet all state and federal education mandates — such as the 22-student per class limit and minimum teacher salaries — they must tax at the limit prescribed in Texas law. That, they said, amounts to a single statewide property tax.

...I did not know this...(live in Ca.)

[sonias]

1. Yes our school finance system is idiotic

And now unconstitutional as well! I don't expect that we'll get a better version from the repuke controlled legislature either. They've already gone at it for 5 special sessions and two regular sessions. They've pretty much boxed themselves in, since they won't even consider and income tax and they just can't bring themselves to tax more businesses. The Texas Supreme Court is also 100% repbublican. The supreme court didn't feel that our schools needed any more money. Their only problem with the current system was the cap on property taxes imposed by the legislature, a de-facto statewide property tax which is prohibited by the state constitution. They could care less about educating the kids, they just don't want a statewide property tax.

Sonia

[MrTriumph]

5. Raising the rate is not the answer- Our property taxes are already high

More sources of tax revenue is the answer. Our property taxes are already the highest in the country.

[taps]

2. The rich schools control everything

All of this comes from the richer school districts such as Highland Park controlling everything. It's okay that they have 5 times as much per student as some poorer school districts. This ruling is so unfair! They don't want to help the poorer schools yet they will give a busing allowance to Highland Park which does NOT even own a school bus!

[sonias]

3. Totally agree with you taps

Austin AISD is considered one of those rich districts too, yet we have kids within our own school district that don't get the same quality education, even within our own school district. I'm also very familiar with those poorer districts along the border. The state is failing to provide a quality education to all of our kids. But they don't care about that either. As long as they don't have to be viewed as raising taxes they could care less about educating the children of Texas. All the more reason they want to push vouchers. Let the private market handle education they say. The truth is they only want the kids of the rich educated and they want the poor kids to be stuck in those low paying minimum wage jobs or the military.

Welcome to DU taps!

Sonia

[MrTriumph]

4. I don't necessarily agree. Depends upon your definition of rich & poor

I currently live in Hurst, a city in eastern Tarrant County. Our school district (HEB ISD) is a "rich" one.

There are many areas in Texas that have been experiencing an oil & gas boom. This may surprise you, but many if not most of those areas are "poor" districts.

Locally assessed property taxes provide the lion's share of funding. However, because oil wealth largely escapes state taxation (and because of our generous agricultural exemption and the tax-free status for many businesses), it falls to districts like HEB ISD to fund the "poor" ones.

I am as concerned as anyone that Texas school children receive an adequate education. I understand your complaints about not having adequate funds for your school.

As someone who pays school taxes in a "rich" district -some money which is sent to your district- I would like to hear proposals to make the tax system more fair.