DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF EDUCATION IN THE BATTLE OVER ITS FUNDING
By David O. Russell

This opinion editorial received coverage in the Dallas Morning News (February 23, 2004; page 13A), Austin American Statesman (February 23, 2004, page 9A) along with other daily and weekly papers.

The only consensus in the debate over public school finance seems to be that we need consensus.

Most agree that our current method of paying for public schools, which relies heavily on local property taxes, needs to be revised. But with what? Each interested party seems to have its own plan.

Changing the status quo is never easy. Creating a new school finance plan that will generate total satisfaction and support among legislators, education groups, property owners, business interests and others not only won’t be easy, it may be impossible. But that doesn’t mean that consensus can’t be achieved or that we shouldn’t try.

Do we need to do something? Absolutely. Without a special legislative session, the issue could be settled in court. Dozens of school districts have joined in a lawsuit against the state, challenging the current funding system as unconstitutional and inadequate. That trial is set for July 26.

We don’t want the courts to make our education decisions for us. That’s another definite point of consensus. We’ve already been there and done that.

Lawsuits spurred a 30-year federal court oversight of our state prison system and a 23-year judicial involvement in our state’s mental health system. Let’s keep the courts out of our education system. Courts in other states, most recently including Arkansas, already have demonstrated that they are not shy about jumping into the fray over adequacy in education.

Instead, Texas legislators and other state leaders need to do what they were elected to do – make decisions, no matter how tough, that create a fair and equitable school finance system.

To do this, we need to see beyond special interests and keep our eyes on the big picture – education excellence. Governor Rick Perry used this phrase recently as a reminder that every change to the public education system, including its funding, must enhance the quality of education in Texas.

It isn’t enough just to pump more money into education. If we’re going to ask Texans to invest more, we need to give them something in return.

Texans need to know their money is being well spent. They need to see results. After all, the education our students receive today is preparing them to lead our state in the coming decades.

Texas public schools have made great progress in recent years to bolster learning and improve student performance. But these achievements should only be a first step in our quest for a better public education system.

Are our children really prepared for high school, much less the world beyond? Do they have the essential knowledge and analytical skills they need to either enter the workforce and contribute to our economy or to advance to college?

Instead of cheering when our children meet the minimum standards we’ve set for them in our current education system, we should expect them to strive for maximum performance.

But these expectations cannot be placed on students unless we give them the necessary support. Educators and schools must be provided with the tools, programs and dollars to help these students reach their potential and beyond.

A decade ago, Texas policymakers set our state’s public schools on a course for excellence. As we’ve expected more and more from our schools in the past 10 years, the state has backed up those mandates with less and less funding.

We must seize the opportunity now – not wait until the 2005 legislative session – to fix the state’s school finance system. We encourage our state leaders to address these difficult funding questions in a special session to ensure that they, not the courts, decide the future of public education in Texas.

David Russell is chairman of the Texas Education Reform Caucus, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the cause of education reform in Texas, and vice-president of external affairs for Verizon.