We Need Your Help | Contact State Lawmakers About School Funding
LISD Families,
Today, our school district joined hands with 17 other districts in North Texas to make an emergency plea to our parents and our supporters, as well as our dedicated teachers and team members to contact their state lawmakers about school funding. With only one month left in the legislative session, now is the time for our voices to be heard before the final gavel goes down on May 29.
We are declaring an emergency because the budget currently being negotiated by state lawmakers leaves Texas public schools $7 billionshort from what is needed to cover inflation since 2019. This will imperil our ability to provide quality educational opportunities for our students while compensating our teachers competitively in the DFW market.
To respond to our emergency, click here to contact your lawmaker. It only takes a few minutes to send a respectful message that seeks more funding for our schools.
The teacher shortage in Texas, along with other school employee shortages, is likely to worsen if school districts are unable to provide meaningful compensation increases that keep up with inflation. We want to prioritize funding for teacher compensation, but we also have to keep the lights on and gas in the tank of our school buses. The current proposal does not allow many school districts to do both.
Not long ago, in 2019, the legislature made an historic commitment to public education in the form of House Bill 3. By redesigning the school finance system, shifting the burden off property taxpayers, and adding billions in new funding for schools, the legislature set Texas on the path to becoming a leader in serving our students. Unfortunately, over the past four years the pressures of the pandemic, inflation, and increases in property values have eroded much of that good work. As a state, we are on the cusp of backing away from our work to provide for high-quality public education. Schools and property taxpayers are in desperate need of relief, and the legislature has the money to provide both.
How dire is the situation? From June 2019 to February 2023, inflation in Texas increased 17%, according to the Texas Consumer Price Index. In March 2022, the Legislative Budget Board estimated that current school funding is at 2014 levels when adjusting for inflation. Our fixed costs for utilities, insurance, and fuel have risen dramatically while we’re struggling to hire and keep teachers, as well as bus drivers, custodians, aides, and special education staff. Inflation coupled with stagnant funding levels has eroded compensation for these jobs.
What makes this more painful for our taxpayers is that as their property taxes have shot up, school districts have not received more money for maintenance and operations. Instead, the state share of school funding has dropped precipitously. The current proposed state budget makes historic, and much needed, investments in reducing property taxes, raising the state share to more than 50%. But that still does not increase our funding.
We are extremely grateful for the $7.4 billion already allocated in both versions of the state budget and we recognize the constraints that lawmakers face, but school districts need help in closing the remaining $7 billion gap simply to fulfill the promise of House Bill 3 from 2019.
With a month left in the legislative session, we know that many of our teachers and team members are watching what happens before accepting job offers for next school year. We hope that, hearing our distress signal, parents, teachers, business leaders, and students will contact their legislators to ask them to plug the $7-billion hole in the public education budget.
To contact your lawmaker, click here to join our effort. It only takes a few minutes to send a message that seeks more funding for our schools.
Lori Rapp, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
Lewisville ISD
