Texas School Finance and More

Some may have missed an important decision from the Texas Supreme Court rendered on November 22, 2005, addressing the legality of the state's school finance scheme under the state constitution.  The State Supreme Court reversed the lower court's finding that the state's finance system violated the constitutional efficiency or adequacy standard (although it acknowledged that the system was drifing toward constitutional infirmity).  The Texas Supreme Court instead focused on a different part of the state consitution, concluding that the Texas school finance system had evolved into a state property tax in violation of the Texas constitutional prohibition of a state property tax.  Neely v. West Orange-Cove Consolidated Indep. Sch. Dist, 2005 WL 3116298 (Tex.2005) (majority) and dissent.  .

The National Conference of State Legislatures maintains an excellent searchable database on educational finace issues.