It’s surreal to see our schools in crisis and cash-strapped, while those holding the...
It’s surreal to see our schools in crisis and cash-strapped, while state lawmakers holding the purse strings in Austin are flush with cash.The Texas comptroller recently reported we have a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” in a projected $32.7 billion budget “surplus,” due largely to record-high inflation and ballooning energy prices. Counting other money, this means lawmakers will have an unprecedented $188.2 billion in general revenue as they write the 2024-25 budget.
While homeowners have received tax reductions many times in recent years — namely a 2019 school property tax cut package, a voter-approved homestead exemption increase and an over-65 freeze adjustment last May — the list of deferred needs in other areas remains long.School districts use local property taxes to cover as much of their budgets as possible, then the state chips in the rest. As local property taxes have risen, the state has decreased its share of education costs.
Addressing these issues costs money. With federal stimulus funds set to expire in 2024, our schools cannot keep up with instructional demands or inflation.Increasing the basic allotment, or the money each district gets per student, and adjusting it for inflation is a start. The basic allotment has always been arbitrary — it’s never been an accurate reflection of what it costs to educate kids — and is stuck at pre-pandemic levels until the Legislature raises it.
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