A child’s future should not depend on his or her heritage, parents’ income or neighborhood. Our sense of justice insists that America be the land of opportunity where all citizens are considered equal and that wherever a student comes from or lives, he or she should have the opportunity to succeed.
All children must have access to quality education. How we carry this out has led to an ongoing debate. There are still people who have difficulty accepting that access should be relatively equal for all children. But we can have a strong public school system that provides an excellent education for all children. We can and we must.
This webpage presents historical resources sampled from IDRA’s over five decades of work for fair school funding for Texas public schools. For the most recent news, go to Fair School Funding in Texas and to our Stop Vouchers webpage.
Infographic: Texas State Divestment of Education
Texas School Finance Reform: An IDRA Perspective – A master storyteller, Dr. José A. Cárdenas, offers an insider’s view of the 28-year history of school finance in Texas. Dr. Cárdenas was the only person who was actively involved in the entire school finance reform effort in the early days of the Rodríguez vs. San Antonio ISD litigation when he was superintendent of the Edgewood ISD. More than a history, this book provides a blueprint for persons interested in bringing about future reform in schools and other social institutions. (Out of print, but available online)
Bilingual Education Funding
- Policy Brief: Most English Learners Would Be Excluded from the Proposed Dual Language Weight
- Bilingual Allotment Data Dashboard: IDRA created this data dashboard to show scenarios of how increasing the bilingual education allotment will impact schools within each Texas House or Senate district.
- Testimony: Without Increased Resources for English Learners, Texas Compromises Education for One-fifth of Students, February 13, 2019
- Testimony: Keep Spending Guidelines for Bilingual and Comp Ed Funding, April 25, 2019
- Equity Center Radio Highlights – Listen to this two-part interview with Dr. Albert Cortez, IDRA director of policy, on Equity Center Radio. Dr. Cortez is interviewed by Ray Freeman, deputy executive director for the Equity Center, about funding for the education of English language learners. Part 1 Part 2. See Univision San Antonio story: Demandan a Texas por desigualdad educative (with Dr. Albert Cortez)
COVID-19 Education Policy News
- Policy Primer: Ensuring Education Equity During and After COVID-19, IDRA’s living document listing policies to preserve and promote educational equity:
- Policies to Support Learning through Summer and the 2020-21 School Year
- Budget and Policy Information for School Districts in State Legislative Sessions
- Linked Resources and Tools for Ensuring Equity in COVID-19 Responses
- Issue Brief – Cutting Public School Relief Funds to Subsidize Private Schools – An Analysis of How the Department of Education’s Equitable Services Rule Will Harm Texas Students and School Districts
- Policy Updates – IDRA is releasing policy updates for schools regarding COVID-19 each Friday in our Learning Goes On eNews (sign up free). See a log of the updates here in English and in Spanish.
- IDRA Letter to U.S. Congress Urging Education Equity in Next Stimulus Package, July 27, 2020
- Joint Letters
- Joint Letter to Congress Regarding Next Round of COVID-19 Funding, July 27, 2020
- Joint Letter to Texas Congressional Delegation Calling for Additional Federal Relief to the Coronavirus Pandemic, July 21, 2020
- Supplemental Funding for English Learners/Title III in COVID Relief, April 17, 2020
- Letter to Texas Education Commissioner re 2020 Charter Amendments, April 3, 2020
- Recommendations for the Bexar County Juvenile Justice System’s COVID-19 Emergency Plan, March 27, 2020
- How to Submit Public Comments to the U.S. Department of Education. Plus see our sample letter on the dangers of not including undocumented students in CARES Act relief
Testimony and Statements
• Policy Comments, Testimony and Policy Updates in 2023 and 2022 and 2021 legislative sessions
Infographic: 7 Things to Ensure School Finance Equity
Video and Text: Without Increased Resources for English Learners, Texas Compromises Education for One-fifth of Students, Invited testimony of IDRA presented for the House Public Education Committee on the recommendations of the Texas Commission on Public School Finance – Morgan Craven, J.D., National Director of Policy, February 13, 2019
Testimony: Equity and Meaningful Educational Opportunity for All
Testimony: Equity Matters for All Schoolchildren
Summary of Comprehensive Texas School Finance Bill
Letter: Education Groups Push State Leaders to Invest in High-Quality Public Education for All Children
Statement: Fair Funding is Nonnegotiable – Texas Must Have Excellent Schools for All
In School Finance Decision, the Poor People Have Lost Again
Recentish Litigation Highlights
Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition vs. Williams – The largest school finance case in the state’s history was filed in 2011, consisting of 443 public school districts and representing more than 1.5 million school children. IDRA’s director of policy, Dr. Albert Cortez, presented expert testimony. One of IDRA’s findings is that Texas’ richest districts have over $35,000 more to spend per classroom on teachers, books, etc., than our poorest districts. IDRA has created a dashboard to collect news about the Texas school finance trial for easy access for parents, school folk & communities. You can see the latest news stories, live tweets, images, etc. See a general timeline and links to IDRA’s testimony, slides, statements and related resources.
Court Rules: Texas School Funding Must Serve All Students Equitably – The ruling on February 4, 2013, by the Texas District Court, Judge John Dietz presiding, that the Texas school finance system as currently constructed violates the Texas Constitution affirms what communities and educators have known for years. Our state clearly is not providing the resources necessary to educate all children to the high levels that are needed in the 21st century. Consonant with the ruling of the district court, IDRA calls for the following: The time for increased and equitable funding is now – What is needed are critical resources, not more time; Special population funding increases are required; Target revenue and hold-harmless funding should be ended with no more phasing out; Public funding must be reserved for public schools; and Facilities funding priority should be given to public schools. See the statement by Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO and related resources.
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- General Information about the West Orange-Cove Ruling (2005)
- Equity in school funding
- Facilities funding
- Efficiency of funding and spending
- School performance and standards
- Current funding levels
- FAQs – Frequently asked questions about school funding following the ruling
Historial Resource Highlights
Podcast: Key Issues in the Texas School Funding Trial
Glossary – Quick definitions to help you know the issue
Policy Brief (2019): Fair and Essential Education Funding Requires State Investment
IDRA’s initiative, Fair Funding Now! for Texas Education – In 2011, the Texas legislature cut education funding for the first time in four decades. Instead of ending funding disparities, they walked away – pushing millions of Texas children aside. But 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. Get tools, handouts, news and more resources at IDRA’s Courageous Connections – Fair Funding Now! website.
What to do about “Recapture” – Recapture is an essential element in funding education in Texas. But, a combination of the state’s failure to invest state tax dollars in education, static equalized wealth levels, and rising property taxes has placed a growing burden on local property taxpayers. The state’s core problem lies in its failure to fund education based on actual costs rather than on a “funds-left-over” basis. There are many ways the state can address recapture, some that improve equity for school districts across Texas and others that diminish equity.
Low Funding for Educating ELLs Affects Students Across Texas – Symposium Proceedings
Testimony: Equity and Meaningful Educational Opportunity for All
Invited Testimony of IDRA – Presented by David Hinojosa, J.D., National Director of Policy, before the Texas School Finance Commission, March 2018
Education Groups Push State Leaders to Invest in High Quality Public Education for All Children – At the start of the 2017 special session, a diverse collective of education groups with hundreds of thousands of members across Texas called on state leaders to enact positive school finance reform that ensures each and every child in every neighborhood public school has access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed both inside and outside of the classroom.
Implications of Inequitable School Funding – Podcast Episode 68 – Encarnación Garza, Jr., assistant professor at UTSA, shares his perspective of inequitable school funding as an issue of social justice through the eyes of a former school principal and superintendent.
The Status of School Finance Equity in Texas – A 2009 Update – Texas was headed in the right direction until the last two legislative sessions when revisions made to the school funding plan eroded equity among Texas schools. This update summarizes where things are and identifies changes that are needed. Free online. Available for purchase. See related news release. See our online flip-book, School Finance Reform in Texas – IDRA Perspectives on Funding Changes Adopted by the 2009 Texas Legislature.
IDRA Texas School Finance news dashboard for curated news and resources during the 2019 legislative session.
