James "Kal" Kallison, Local Contributor
Texas needs school finance reforms is an article in the Austin American Statesman surrounding the dispute to determine who should regulate schools property taxes, school officials or the legislator? Several schools have joined together in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Texas school finance system. There are four such lawsuits, collectively representing about half of the state's school districts and 60 percent of its student population. The schools participating in the law suit are Bluff Dale, southwest Fort Worth, Houston school district, Austin and Round Rock district.
Texas School Finance... Plain and Simple
An argument to determine if the state school finance system produce equivalent revenue for all school districts regardless of the property wealth, assuming the same level of tax effort?
Another argument includes a process called equalization, the Texas school finance system compensates for discrepancies in property wealth by supplementing local property tax revenue with state funds. This allows the poorer districts to get larger state aid. In doing so the state cannot afford to “equalize” revenue to match the very wealthiest district in the state, but instead it equalizes to a lower specific level of wealth.
Over 200 districts including Austin gave back money from their school property tax revenue to the state in direct proportion to wealth. The richer the district the greater the amount of recaptured revenue. Most of the districts agree that the current amount of the revenue after recapture is still not enough to ensure an adequate education for children, as required by the Texas Constitution.
The past legislative session, the state reneged on it hold harmless provision and dealt with the state revenue shortage by assigning reductions in funding over $5 million to schools districts across the stated.
The writer was able to keep the attention of the readers by using his personal opinions and how it affects his school district Eames. He's able to capture the audience of schools, parents and students though out the article. The Eames school district had lost in revenue, increased teaching loads, frozen salaries, increase class size, cutting the number of counselors, teachers and bus drivers. These measures forced the school districts to come up with other ways to try and raise revenue.
The value of the article clearly, supports how the school districts have to take on a great burden of this magnitude in an effort to provide our children's future education. Sooner or later the government would have to provide some type of financial support. The state school finance system does not provide a constitutionally required adequate education for all four lawsuits maintain that the current system violates the prohibition against state property tax.
I'm in agreement with the school districts filling the lawsuit in an effort to better the futures of our children.
Another argument includes a process called equalization, the Texas school finance system compensates for discrepancies in property wealth by supplementing local property tax revenue with state funds. This allows the poorer districts to get larger state aid. In doing so the state cannot afford to “equalize” revenue to match the very wealthiest district in the state, but instead it equalizes to a lower specific level of wealth.
Over 200 districts including Austin gave back money from their school property tax revenue to the state in direct proportion to wealth. The richer the district the greater the amount of recaptured revenue. Most of the districts agree that the current amount of the revenue after recapture is still not enough to ensure an adequate education for children, as required by the Texas Constitution.
The past legislative session, the state reneged on it hold harmless provision and dealt with the state revenue shortage by assigning reductions in funding over $5 million to schools districts across the stated.
The writer was able to keep the attention of the readers by using his personal opinions and how it affects his school district Eames. He's able to capture the audience of schools, parents and students though out the article. The Eames school district had lost in revenue, increased teaching loads, frozen salaries, increase class size, cutting the number of counselors, teachers and bus drivers. These measures forced the school districts to come up with other ways to try and raise revenue.
The value of the article clearly, supports how the school districts have to take on a great burden of this magnitude in an effort to provide our children's future education. Sooner or later the government would have to provide some type of financial support. The state school finance system does not provide a constitutionally required adequate education for all four lawsuits maintain that the current system violates the prohibition against state property tax.
I'm in agreement with the school districts filling the lawsuit in an effort to better the futures of our children.
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