TEXAS PTA’S STATEMENT ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE RULING

“We concur with Justice Willett and Justice Guzman that there is much work to be done,” stated Lisa Holbrook, President of Texas PTA. “In the words of Justice Guzman, ‘While the constitution requires the system be merely good enough, that does not mean that our system is good, or that it will continue to be enough.’ We must continue to improve our system of education. We cannot do less,” she added.

Last week, the Texas Supreme Court issued its ruling on the constitutionality of Texas’ system of funding public schools, determining that while, “undeniably imperfect, with immense room for improvement,” it is constitutional.

While the ruling means that the Texas Legislature will have no mandate to make any changes to the state’s funding system, it is clear from Justice Willett’s opinion that, “Texas’ 5 million students deserve transformational, top-to-bottom reforms that amount to more than a Band-Aid on top of Band-Aid,” and from Justice Guzman’s concurring opinion that, “There is much work to be done to improve our public school system, particularly for the population that represents the majority of the student base — economically disadvantaged students,” that the Texas Supreme Court in no way endorsed our current system as the best it can be.

“Texas PTA vows to continue to work with legislators and other advocates to create a system that is fair and that gives all students the education they deserve. We must come together — parents, school leaders, policy-makers — to craft a solution that affords every student the opportunity to achieve his/her dreams through education,” stated Holbrook. “We must not take this ruling as permission to ignore the problems we know exist in our public school system.”