Here we go again.  Remember two years ago when the Texas Legislature passed a new school finance plan because of a court order?  Education experts now report that the state will need to put $5 billion more into public education to stay out of court.

What’s happening is that the system passed in 2006 allows for school districts to receive significantly different amounts of funding per student.  For example in the Austin area, the Pflugerville ISD receives $4,882 per student and the Austin ISD receives $5,746 per student.  Statewide, some districts get less than $4,250 and some get more than $6,000 per student.  This would bring into question the constitutionality of a system that doesn’t give each school district equal access to the state’s education dollars.

But what about all the new taxes passed in 2006?  Well, the state’s leadership knowingly passed the largest tax increases in the state’s history but not a penny of it went to public education.  It all went to lowering property taxes.  Unfortunately, property values have gone up so much that your average taxpayer hasn’t seen a significant decrease in their property taxes.

Large tax increases, small property tax cuts and inadequate funding for Texas kids; Texans can’t afford this kind of leadership for much longer.