Legislature Takes Steps to Overhaul School Finance System
Both House and Senate committees are taking steps to fix our broken school finance system. The Senate effort is chaired by Senate Education Committee Chair Larry Taylor (Friendswood). The House effort is chaired by Rep. Trent Ashby (Lufkin). These are Article III subcommittees of the Appropriations Committee that will tackle pre-K/12 through higher ed funding, as well as retirement systems.
House members include:
Trent Ashby, chair (R-Lufkin)
Helen Giddings (D-Dallas)
Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint)
Donna Howard (D-Austin)
Linda Koop (R-Dallas)
John Raney (R-Bryan/College Station)
Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston)
Senate members include:
Larry Taylor, chair (R-Friendswood)
Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston)
Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills)
Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo)
Royce West (D-Dallas)
The Senate also has a working group, chaired by Senator Larry Taylor, to work on proposed replacements for the current school finance system.
House Speaker Joe Strauss, has prioritized public education funding, with a budget proposal that adds $1.5 billion in funding on top of funding for enrollment growth. The Senate budget only funds growth.
Read below for more . . .
Texas Senate takes first step toward school finance overhaul (Texas Tribune)
Analysis: Texas makes do with broken but legal school finance system (Texas Tribune)