EDITORIAL
Hays CISD has joined a large group of school districts from across the state suing over Texas’ inequitable and shabby system of funding schools.
This coalition of school districts has been in the making for a long time, following the 2005 ruling by the Texas Supreme Court striking down the school funding system.
Schools in Texas have been funded through a combination of local property taxes and monies from the state. The lawsuit claims that the current system of paying for education in Texas in unconstitutional and inefficient. The lawsuit was filed by the Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition, with more than 150 school district joining the process.
Another lawsuit was filed this week by Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, asking courts to rule on the problems that especially affect low-income districts and bilingual students.
It is about time that Hays CISD, which has a growing number of students but not a comparable amount of commercial property and taxes, joined the lawsuit. There are always critics about the ways Hays CISD is using its funds, about the salaries of administrators and the number of personnel in central administration or some of the programs that have been implemented.
But school districts must have adequate funding – to build new buildings, to educate students who need help, or to raise the level of academic excellence.
We can only hope that the resulting redistribution of wealth will be good for all students in Hays CISD.
