Now what? Legislators, education advocates and think tanks respond to Texas School Financing

[TexasTowelie]

Texas Equity Center summed up his ruling plainly.

"The Texas school finance system is:
1. Inequitable and inefficient
2. Inadequate and unsuitable
3. Statewide de facto property tax.

Center for Public Policy Priorities Executive Director F. Scott McCowan who, in his previous career as a judge, ruled in a previous case against an earlier Texas school finance system, Edgewood v Kirby.

The district court’s strong ruling confirms what we already know. We aren’t investing enough in education. We aren’t dividing what we do spend fairly between school districts. And the state is forcing local property taxes up because it won’t pay its share of the cost of education.

"The Legislature should act now rather than wait for the Supreme Court to affirm the district court. Kids are suffering from insufficient resources unfairly divided. There is no good reason to delay fixing the problem."

Texas AFT President Linda Bridges wrote, "Today’s ruling should spur the legislature to do what it ought to be doing anyway – using the state’s resurgent revenue to restore school funding that was cut severely last session, and reforming the school-finance system to satisfy constitutional requirements. The inevitable appeal that the state’s lawyers will pursue in this case must not become an excuse for legislative inertia. The state needs to invest more in public education immediately, because the kids can’t wait.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo said, "Today's decision also reflects the need to fund our public schools more adequately and fairly. To remedy the situation immediately, legislators should restore the $5 billion cuts from public education in 2011.

Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth said, "Today's decision by Judge John Dietz should serve as a wakeup call to Gov. Perry and our legislative leaders. His ruling that our schools are not adequately funded is an indictment of the current leadership's failure to safeguard our children's education and Texas' economic future. Judge Dietz's decision echoes concerns that I have heard from parents and teachers in my district and across the state. As a result of his ruling I believe the Legislature now has a constitutional obligation this session to restore the cuts it made to our schools."

And most despicably:
Bill Hammond, chair of the Texas Association of Business stated, Judge Dietz "agrees with me that our schools are not producing enough career and college ready students." Hammond continued, instead what they heard (the court) was an argument for more efficiency, which actually means competition, which really means charters and vouchers.

The full story at http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/news/2013-02-05/judge-texas-school-finance-unconstitutional/ .

[mbperrin]

1. Bill Hammond and zealots like him are why 60% of Texas schoolchildren live in poverty!

Think of it, 60%. And then have the nerve to demand anything from them in order to further enrich his worthless old hide and disgusting love of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Fuck him and all who agree with him. Surely karma will catch up with him. Soon, please.

[TexasTowelie]

2. +1,000