Legislative
Funding for Schools
In order for Texas schools to be successful in their mission to educate all students regardless of socio-economic status, ability, and legal status, schools must be adequately funded. Texas PTA supports state funding for state-mandated programs and supports increasing the state's share of funding to local school districts. Texas PTA serves as the voice for Texas children, maintaining the focus on their health, well-being, and educational opportunity.
Thirty-one percent of the Texas budget supports K-12 education funding for public schools, making it vital that our state legislators become educated on the Texas school finance system. The system of funding public schools is very complicated. In order to be prepared to vote on this critical piece of the state’s budget, legislators must have a basic understanding of the current system. Currently, newly elected legislators are offered a brief voluntary training session on state budget issues, including education funding, during the Legislative Orientation. Several think tanks offer excellent orientations to school finance that provide a basic foundation for legislators.
Participation in a school funding briefing will help to ensure that the decisions made on behalf of the public schools of Texas are based on a solid understanding of this complex subject. Texas PTA is pursuing a non-legislative grassroots approach, encouraging legislators, through their PTA constituents, to participate in a briefing on education finance. The list linked below are legislators who have invested the time to learn about school finance and we salute them:
-
School Finance
Background and talking points -
Legislators - School Finance
-
Sample Letter Sent to Legislators
| Issue | Download |
|---|---|
| Texas PTA Press Release on Dietz Ruling |
Press Release |
| Judge John Dietz - School Funding Comments |
Comments |
| Judge John Dietz - School Funding Ruling |
Ruling |
| Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA)-School Finance Presentation |
Brief |
| Texas Education Agency (TEA)-School Finance Presentation |
Brief |
| Advocacy and your PTA |
Powerpoint Slides  |
| TASB Legislative Alert and Links | TASB |
| Sample Thank You Letters to Legislators |
Samples  |
| Sample Letters to the Editor |
Sample |