Texas’ Largest School District Joins Fight to Strike Down School Finance System
HISD will join coalition of school districts challenging the constitutionality of Texas’ school finance system
October 19, 2011
On October 20, the Houston Independent School District joined the growing statewide movement to have Texas’ school finance system declared unconstitutional.
The HISD Board of Education voted to authorize a lawsuit against the state on the grounds that Texas lawmakers have not met their constitutionally mandated obligation to adequately fund public education. The recently adopted state budget cuts education funding by $5 billion over a two-year period. This funding cut comes at a time when Texas is adding 80,000 more students each year and lawmakers are holding school districts accountable for meeting the highest academic standards in state history.
October 19, 2011
On October 20, the Houston Independent School District joined the growing statewide movement to have Texas’ school finance system declared unconstitutional.
The HISD Board of Education voted to authorize a lawsuit against the state on the grounds that Texas lawmakers have not met their constitutionally mandated obligation to adequately fund public education. The recently adopted state budget cuts education funding by $5 billion over a two-year period. This funding cut comes at a time when Texas is adding 80,000 more students each year and lawmakers are holding school districts accountable for meeting the highest academic standards in state history.
The lawsuit marks the seventh time in the past 30 years that Texas school districts have joined together to challenge the state’s school finance system, said attorney David Thompson, whose Thompson & Horton law firm will represent HISD and many more districts.
Read the full press release(.pdf).
