How to Navigate Texas' School Finance System

[The Philosopher]

from The Texas Tribune

The Texas public school finance system, responsible for underwriting the education of the nation’s second-largest student population, is notoriously byzantine. Parsing the jargon alone — golden and copper pennies? hold harmless? recapture? — can prove a hopelessly frustrating task.

But finding a way through the labyrinth of school finance is more important now than ever as lawmakers deliberate an education budget that could, if the House has its way, leave public schools $7.8 billion short in funding. And as state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, reminded members of the Senate Finance Committee when they passed their own education budget last week — with still staggering numbers that are $4 billion more than those from the lower chamber — any funding for education depends the passage of a new school finance bill.

In the House, state Reps. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, and Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, have introduced separate legislation outlining reforms. Shapiro, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, and state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, have each said they are working on proposals.

Here’s our layman’s guide to figuring out the current system, compiled with the help of experts at the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, the Equity Center and the Texas Education Agency.

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From the graphic included, local money pays for most of school funding needs. Seems like a ripe place to pick for private business interests. For the price of a private or charter school, 22.2 billion could be yours!