Legislative Red Alert: Proposed bill would effectively defund classrooms
Legislative Red Alert: Proposed bill would effectively defund classrooms
 The Texas Senate will soon consider a committee substitute to House Bill 2, a school funding bill, that would effectively defund classrooms and student programs by providing woefully insufficient funding to meet state mandates and increasing fixed costs. Northwest ISD strongly encourages community members to reach out to state senators and request that public schools across Texas receive appropriate funding support. What's Happening?Unveiled with vague details on Tuesday night by Chairman Brandon Creighton, the Texas Senate's education committee proposes reducing already insufficient per-student funding in the committee substitute of House Bill 2. While the original bill proposed a $395 increase in the basic allotment (base per-student funding), the Senate substitute proposes an increase of just $55. Though the House bill provided only 30% of the funding needed to combat increased fixed costs and unfunded mandates from the state since 2019, the Senate substitute for the bill represents just 4% of the funding necessary to address increased costs to operate student programs and fund classrooms. School districts would need an increase of $1,360 in the basic allotment to address increased fixed costs – costs that are essential to function and cannot be removed from a budget. The Texas Senate has stalled House Bill 2 for three weeks and provided no details on its proposed changes until last night, with just days left in the legislative session. Further, Chairman Creighton unveiled vague details about his committee's proposed changes to the bill with less than two days before the committee heard public testimony on the legislation. Northwest ISD believes this was done intentionally to prevent teachers from testifying on the bill and avoid public backlash. What does this mean for Northwest ISD?According to an overview of the bill released by the Senate, the bill proposes larger teacher raises and funding for rural and low-enrollment school districts, disproportionally hurting suburban districts that serve the majority of Texas students. Additionally, because the proposed basic allotment increase is just $55, Northwest ISD and school districts across Texas will have to consider further increases to class sizes and potential program reductions. To create a balanced budget, school closures and consolidations would also have to be considered in the near future across the state, even in fast-growth districts such as Northwest ISD. As the Texas Senate is well aware, the basic allotment is the primary funding mechanism of Texas public schools, and it must be increased to balance class sizes and maintain student programs as costs continue to escalate. Why is the bill concerning?A summary of the bill, as distributed by the Senate Committee on Education, can be seen in this document. Key points and their concerning components are: Limited Increase in Base Funding: The Senate version of the bill only increases the base per-student funding by 4% of what is necessary to meet increasing costs. This funding is used to maintain district operations, such as class sizes and student programs. Based on current information, Northwest ISD expects to only receive $2 to $3 million in new funding. Wasted Funding: While the Senate touts an $8 billion increase in funding, much of the funding is directed to areas most districts do not need. The Teacher Incentive Allotment only affects about 25% of teachers in the state, for example. The bill also provides funding for areas districts are not requesting, such as $677 million for "targeted investments" in early childhood education such as "free, high-quality literacy screeners" for districts. The Senate could instead use that $677 million to fully fund pre-kindergarten instead of funding it at half-day rates when full-day instruction will be required by law. Support Staff Left Out: Northwest ISD supports teacher raises, but the Senate version of the bill does not provide funding to compensate support staff, who compose about 40% of the district's personnel. All staff are instrumental in supporting students, such as front office staff, bus drivers, campus administrators and more. Future Uncertainty: In 2011, the state lowered its funding for public schools following similar targeted funding from the State Legislature, which caused school districts to dramatically reduce staff and increase class sizes. By targeting funding, the Senate plans to eliminate local control of knowing what's best for students. This will create chaos in meeting student needs as the ongoing Texas School Funding Crisis continues. Lack of Parity: This version of the bill intentionally provides more support for small and rural school districts and their teachers than suburban school districts. About 70% of teachers serve in metropolitan areas, yet they will receive a raise that is just half of their peers in smaller districts. The bill also provides new funding for charter schools that public schools do not receive. What can you do?Please immediately contact by phone the offices of legislators who represent Northwest ISD as well as the Texas Senate Committee on Education and Texas Senate as a whole and request that Texas schools receive appropriate funding support in the basic allotment to maintain student programs and classroom support. Because the committee hearing is tomorrow morning, now is the time to communicate with Texas senators and their offices. Treat the office staff with respect and courtesy, but please let them know these concerns. If approved in the Senate, the bill would go back to the House (see a full member list) for consideration. Based on conversations with elected officials, Northwest ISD believes the House is more open to listening to its constituents. |