According to a recent poll regarding Texas public education perceptions, Texans say education is the most important issue for the governor and Texas Legislature to address.
Enrollment in Texas public schools increased by 18.8 percent between 2004 and 2014, more than six times the increase across the United States (3.1 percent) during this same time period. This dramatic increase in statewide public school enrollment was the second-highest in the nation, behind Utah (26.6 percent).
Student enrollment and Average Daily Attendance (ADA) in Texas has increased every school year. However, state funding for the Foundation School Program (FSP) has decreased from $16.7 billion in the 2009-10 school year to $15.7 billion in 2018-19. As a result, state aid per student (ADA) has dropped from $3,840 in the 2009-10 school year to $3,253 in the 2018-19 school year.
The state share of funding public education has steadily declined since 2014 when it was 45 percent. The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) projects the state share of public education funding will be only 38 percent for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.
The Texas Legislature is currently in session and has the opportunity to improve school funding. Texas Governor Greg Abbott named the following emergency items in his State of the State address last week: school finance reform, teacher pay raises, property tax relief, school safety, disaster response and mental health programs.
Anyone that would like to share their opinions regarding school funding or any other topic for the Texas Legislature can contact the offices of the following elected officials:
Governor Greg Abbott
(800) 843-5789
(512) 463-1782
(512) 463-2000
State Senator Dawn Buckingham
(512) 463-0124
(254) 939-3854
State Representative Brad Buckley
(512) 463-0684
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick
(512) 463-5342
(512) 463-0001