School Funding

This legislative session, Texas lawmakers are hoping to lower property taxes and increase funding for the state’s public schools. Meanwhile, local taxing entities say the state’s recent efforts to curb property taxes are making it harder for them to fund the services they provide.

The Liberty Hill school district will transition to a "hybrid" calendar next fall, with some months having four-day school weeks, and other months having five-day school weeks. It's one strategy the district is using to help cut costs amid concerns about its budget.

The school board will vote Tuesday on whether to shut down Valley View Elementary and send students to Barton Creek during the next school year. Some families worry the decision is being rushed.

The school boards in Austin ISD and Manor ISD each called tax rate elections for Nov. 5 to help cover the cost of raising staff salaries. Both districts are facing multimillion-dollar budget deficits.

Manor ISD staff will begin getting time off for mental health during the 2024-2025 school year. The district is looking for creative ways to increase benefits for staff while facing a budget deficit.

Pretty much everything costs more than it did in 2019. But in Texas, public schools are still getting the same amount of funding they got four years ago.

The chamber will likely have to negotiate with the House over key differences in their spending plans, namely how to lower property taxes.

Texas lawmakers are set to consider legislation this year that would allow families to use taxpayer money to send their kids to nonpublic schools. Democrats and rural Republicans have previously blocked efforts to get school choice bills across the finish line.

Pflugerville ISD in the Austin area is looking at shuttering one elementary school to save money, but it’s not the only district considering closures. Declining enrollment and stagnant state funding are leaving many districts with tight budgets and in some cases budget deficits.

State tax systems are usually looked at as a three-legged stool — property taxes, sales taxes and personal income tax. In Texas, our “stool” only has two legs.