Senate Committee Says Massive Cut To Education Spending Is Part Of A Long-Term Remedy Plan

KUT 90.5 | By Jill Ament | Texas Standard

Published August 11, 2017 at 4:17 PM CDT

Public-school activists hold an ironic expensive bake sale outside the Texas Capitol in 2012.

One issue that's been top priority during the special legislative session is school finance. On Thursday, nearly 1,500 school officials sent a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick urging him to support the primary legislation that deals with school finance, House Bill 21, which passed out of the House on Monday. The Senate's Education Committee heard testimony on HB 21 Friday.

Julie Chang, an education reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, says the Senate committee introduced a new version of the bill Friday that decreases funding by almost $1.5 billion.Senators on the committee say the change reflects their goal of finding a true remedy to school finance with a close study of the system’s problems, as opposed to a financial quick fix.

In early testimony Friday, advocates from charter schools praised the Senate bill, while public school advocates opposed the bill because it offers less resources for them than the House version.

Written by Caroline Covington.