In the spring of 2011, Texas lawmakers cut $6.4 billion for public education. They left the rainy day fund untapped. And given the chance to end funding disparities, they walked away – pushing millions of Texas children aside.
That summer, 12,000 teachers got pink slips.
In the fall of 2011, our children went to school with more crowded classrooms. Qualified college students lost scholarship funds.
In 2011, the largest school finance case in the state’s history, Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition vs. Williams, was filed consisting of 443 public school districts and representing more than 1.5 million school children. See a general timeline and links to IDRA statements with related resources.
State legislators had the opportunity in the 2017 session to take action to provide equitable funding for all Texas children and reduce funding gaps across the state. But they did not. Beginning July 18, 2017, legislators returned for a special session, with education as part of their focus.
Communities across the state are taking action to make sure that schools are equipped to guarantee that all children graduate ready for college and career. Fair Funding Now! is an initiative of IDRA to help.
Texas Divestment in Public Education – See IDRA’s infographic showing how the State of Texas has reduced its share of public education spending.
Fund Texas Schools Now! PowerPoint Presentation
Watch the video and share it with others.
English version: (pdf) (Powerpoint) (movie)
Spanish version: (pdf) (Powerpoint) (movie)
What is Just? Education, Excellence & Equity Difficult Dialogues
IDRA Presentation at The Humanities Institute, UT-Austin, by Laurie Posner, MPA, April 2, 2012
English: (pdf) (Powerpoint) (movie)
