Advocates’ Priorities for Public Schools in the Next Legislative Session
Education advocates in Texas are gearing up for the upcoming legislative session, with school funding at the top of their priority list. The last session in 2023 saw a heated debate around education policies, particularly Gov. Greg Abbott’s push for education savings accounts, commonly referred to as vouchers. Despite multiple special sessions, the bill never crossed the finish line, leaving advocates to refocus their efforts for the next session starting in mid-January.
What Advocates are Pushing For
Dax Gonzalez, the government relations division director at the Texas Association of School Boards, emphasized the importance of investing in Texas students and empowering local communities. This includes adequately funding public schools by increasing the basic allotment, investing in teacher recruitment and retention, ensuring transparency for schools receiving public tax dollars, and evaluating the accountability system for grading schools statewide.
The Impact of Funding Challenges
Many school districts are currently grappling with deficit budgets, leading to school consolidations, closures, and reduced bus routes. The lack of funding increases since 2019 has exacerbated financial strains, causing schools to struggle to maintain essential services while facing historic inflation. Gonzalez highlighted the need to address teacher salaries to keep up with rising costs and emphasized the significant impact of funding cuts on classroom resources.
Addressing Funding Gaps
Advocates are advocating for addressing funding gaps in specialized areas such as special education, transportation, and safety. Schools are spending billions more than what the state provides in these critical areas, creating substantial financial burdens. By increasing the basic allotment, advocates believe that many of these funding disparities can be alleviated, ensuring that schools have the resources needed to support all students adequately.
As lawmakers prepare to address education policies in the upcoming session, Gonzalez urged Texans to prioritize school funding as the primary issue. The ability to pay teachers, maintain bus routes, and fulfill constitutional mandates for public schools hinges on adequate funding. With concerns about school funding being tied to voucher bills, advocates hope that legislators will focus on funding as a critical priority for the well-being of Texas students and communities.
In the midst of these challenges, Gonzalez expressed hope that increased awareness of the urgent needs in public schools will prompt legislators to allocate meaningful funding during the upcoming session. As stories of school closures and budget constraints continue to surface, there is a growing sense of urgency for tangible support for public education in Texas.
