Denton ISD and Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson joined hands with 17 other school districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex on Monday, urging parents and supporters to contact their state lawmakers about school funding.
With less than a month left in the current legislative session, school district officials from across the area spoke at a joint press conference on the budget being negotiated by state lawmakers, which leaves Texas public schools $7 billion short of what is needed to cover inflation since 2019.
This issue will imperil school districts’ ability to give staff members salary increases that will help them keep up with the cost of inflation. From June 2019 to February 2023, inflation in Texas soared 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 adjusted for inflation.
Additionally, as property taxes and home values have risen, school districts have not received more money for maintenance and operations. Instead, the state share of school funding has dropped significantly.
It is important to note that school districts do not receive more funding when property values increase. School districts are allotted a certain amount of money per student regardless of property values, and the amount allotted per student has not changed since 2019.
In addition to Monday’s joint press conference in Dallas, similar events occurred in Fort Worth, Austin and across the state.
Contact your lawmaker in support of funding for public education. It only takes about 15 seconds to send a message that seeks more funding for our schools.
