Here are three things you can do right away!
1. Build Knowledge-Power: Share data on funding cuts, widely
Details about the school funding cuts has not reached many families and communities across the state. You can help by putting concrete data into the hands of people who can speak out for children.
2. Share Your Story: Document Impact of Funding Cuts on schoolfunding.crowdmap.com
Use our online map to share your story and encourage others to do the same. You can also meet with teachers and families to find out how cuts are affecting them and document the impact on the map. Then, you can print stories to support and pass a resolution calling for lawmakers to make fair funding for a quality education a top priority.
3. Pass a Resolution: Call for Fair Funding Now!
Work with your school board, city council, PTA, congregation or other group to pass a resolution calling for an investment in public education in Texas that provides for a high quality, equitable education for all students (see sample resolution). Then you can hold a news conference to bring attention to the issue or develop a plan to testify at the county or state level.
Texas Divestment in Public Education – The State of Texas has reduced its share of public education spending during the last decade from 49 percent in 2007 to 41 percent in 2017. These state cuts to education and increases in property values have resulted in local communities footing the bill for K-12 public schools. And in 2016, Texas received a D on a national school finance report with Texas ranking only 45th in the country. It doesn’t have to be this way.
IDRA Penny Power Tool – 
How strong is your local penny of tax for schools compared to your neighbors across Texas? As the state continues to decrease its support of public schools (the state now only covers about 38 percent of the cost), it’s important for communities to know how much bang they are getting for their buck from Texas’s school finance system. IDRA’s Penny Power shows how much revenue your school district generates for each average penny of tax set by local taxpayers and rank orders 1,018 school districts across Texas. Search our Penny Power maps to find out where your school district ranks.
Key Points on School Funding Equity in English & Spanish (pdf)
Fair Funding Now! flier in English & Spanish (pdf)
Sample Resolution in English & Spanish (doc)
Ideas for Action (English pdf) (Spanish pdf)
IDRA OurSchool Portal flier in English & Spanish (pdf)
How to Share your Story on schoolfunding.crowdmap.com (pdf)
