The plaintiffs in the Texas school finance case on Wednesday presented testimony to support their argument that property tax rates and spending per pupil differ significantly from school district to school district despite previous court orders calling for equal treatment of districts in the state?s funding system.
Four witnesses from Kaufman, Hillsboro, Bryan and Belton told state District Judge John Dietz that their property tax rates are higher than in neighboring districts that are spending several hundred dollars more per student under the flawed finance system.
?I believe it is discriminatory. It is unfair to Kaufman residents,? said Joseph Langston, a member of the Kaufman school board.
While he acknowledged he is pleased with the education his daughter received in the district, he added, ?If we had more money, we could provide a better education. We?re doing the best that we can, but we?re falling short of what we could do.? He said his daughter struggled when she started college, a typical experience for students whose schools are underfunded. He also pointed out that the Kaufman school district has a student population that is 65 percent economically disadvantaged.
The Kaufman school district, just south of Dallas, has a tax rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation and spends $5,814 per student, according to Langston. Nearby Sunnyvale, by contrast has a tax rate of $1.02 and spends $6,651 per student, a difference of $837 a year.
Such disparities exist in North Texas and across the state, according to the Equity Center, which represents hundreds of low and medium-wealth districts. More than 600 districts are suing the state over its finance system, contending it provides insufficient funding and is unfair to many districts.
The trial is in its second week.
doonesbury padma lakshmi daughtry lakers trade ann arbor news ides of march elizabeth smart
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.