Texans for Fair Funding – Web Site Launched

A new web site makes it easy for Texans to learn about school funding at the local level. Visitors can get data about individual school districts, such as how much state and local funding the district receives and how much could be lost if the current system of fair funding is eliminated. Texans for Fair Funding is a dynamic new web site that shows how schools are funded, what’s at stake, and what people can do about it. The site is sponsored by the Texas Latino Education Coalition.

It took 25 years, several rounds of court cases and many legislative sessions to create the equitable system we have today so that all Texas children benefit. But it could all be wiped away. Texas policymakers are considering ways to change how Texas schools are funded. The courts are reviewing the current system as well.

Americans agree that a child’s future should not depend on his or her heritage, parents’ income, or neighborhood. Any new plan that is put in place for funding Texas schools must be equitable. Otherwise, we will go back to the days of massive unequal funding. School personnel, policymakers, members of the community and business leaders all play a role in making sure our tax dollars are used to fund schools fairly.

This new user-friendly web site includes interactive features like short Flash presentations to describe the Texas school finance system and its equity provisions. The key areas of the www.texans4fairfunding.org are:

  • Know the Issue: Easy-to-understand info on fair funding in Texas
  • Get the Facts: How funding impacts your school district
  • Take Action: What you can do to inform others and get your voice heard
  • Ask About It: A place to ask questions and get answers
  • Link Up: Resources on the issue of fair funding
  • Texas Fast Facts: Find out about the state of fair funding in Texas

TLEC is a collaborative of organizations and individuals who advocate the rights of Latinos at the local, state and national levels, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Mexican American School Board Members Association, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the Intercultural Development Research Association. The coalition was organized to focus specifically on critical educational issues in Texas and improve the state of education for Latino students in public schools. These target issues are fair funding, teaching quality, school holding power, and college access and success.

Media contact: Christie L. Goodman, APR at IDRA (210-444-1710; cgoodman@idra.org).

Texans for Fair Funding is sponsored by the Texas Latino Education Coalition.

2012 Note: The Texans for Fair Funding website has been integrated with IDRA’s Education Policy website.

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