The Texas public school
system is at a crossroads. We have an opportunity to shape school
funding for generations to come, but we must do it right: Texas
schools can only keep pace with those in the rest of the country
with additional student funding per capita.
The Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools is devoted to keeping
parents, educators, legislators and media outlets informed
about the latest
developments in Texas school funding. It is our goal that this
Web site, www.investintexasschools.org, will be a resource
for all interested
parties to learn more about the issues facing our state and the
proposed solutions from various individuals and groups.
Core Principles on School Finance
These core principles were developed collaboratively
by all participating organizations and are a framework for evaluating
legislative proposals related to school finance.
Members of the Coalition
include:
Texas Association of
School Administrators
TASA is a voluntary, non-profit, statewide organization that was
founded in 1925. The association's membership includes public school
superintendents and administrators, education service center staff,
college and university professors and students, and others interested
in public education.
Texas Association of
School Boards
Created in 1949, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB)
is a voluntary, nonprofit, statewide educational association that
serves and represents local Texas school districts. TASBs membership
includes all 1,045 Texas school districts.
Equity Center
Founded in 1982, the Equity Center is the largest research and
advocacy organization of its kind in the nation and is the
only education association in Texas which exclusively represents
the interests of low and mid-wealth (Tier 2) school districts,
whose access to state and local funds for operations and facilities
is significantly less than that enjoyed by other districts.
Whether researching or developing policy alternatives, “crunching
numbers” for a multitude of finance proposals, testifying
before legislative committees, making presentations to school
groups across the state, or working with state agencies, the
Equity Center concentrates all of its energy on improving the
financial status of our school districts.
South Texas Association
of Schools
The South Texas Association of Schools was founded in
1999. Sixty-two school districts in Regions I and II (deep south
Texas) are members of the association. The primary purpose of the
association is to promote excellence in education and an equitable
distribution of public resources for the benefit of the students
in public school districts with ad valorem taxing authority. The
association closely monitors the deliberations of the Texas Legislature,
the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Educator Certification,
and the State Board of Education in pursuing it’s goal of
a quality education for all students.
Texas Association of
Community Schools
The Texas Association of Community Schools strives to promote,
support and develop excellence in student achievement through the
collaboration of member schools. A community school is defined
as a school district having no more than one high school in the
district. Institutional members are community school districts
or Education Service Centers. Associate members are persons interested
in improving education through the community schools concept.
Texas Association of
Midsized Schools
The Texas Association of Mid-Size Schools mission is to impact
the state's school finance system in order to obtain equitable
funding of education resources while addressing disparities in
size and diseconomies of scale. TAMS pledges to actively participate
in the legislative process to insure continued support for the
unique financial needs of districts up to 5000 regular ADA.
Texas Association of
Rural Schools
The Texas Association of Rural Schools (TARS) was created
to enhance the fiscal capacity of small school districts and narrow
the gap between small districts and other districts.
Fast Growth School Coalition
The Fast Growth School Coalition (FGSC) was created prior to the
1997 in response to the need to promote an agenda to assist
the approximately 100 school districts throughout Texas that
accounted for nearly all of the student growth in Texas, just
as they do today.
Texas School Alliance
Founded in 1990, the Texas School Alliance (TSA) represents 29
of the larger, diverse school districts educating approximately
one-third of all Texas students and more than one-third of
all minority students. These districts work together to provide
a positive and significant impact on public education by bringing
together selected school districts with mutual concerns to
work cooperatively for the benefit of all public school children.
The alliance, including the large urban districts, formalized
an excellent working relationship between urban, suburban,
and mid-sized districts across the state.
Texas School Coalition
The Texas School Coalition is organized for the purpose of bringing
together independent school districts that have an interest
in improving the school funding laws for all school districts.
The organization provides research, information and consultation
regarding school finance legislation. The Coalition represents
118 Texas school districts whose equalized wealth level exceeds
$305,000 per weighted student. These districts paid more than
$750 million in recapture during the 2001-2002 school year
and under current law recapture payments are expected to exceed
$1 billion per year during the next biennium.
Texas Rural Education
Association
Texas Rural Education Association is a statewide organization with
a formal affiliation with the National Rural Education Association.
TREA promotes quality educational opportunities and experiences
for all children from rural public schools which will enable them
to live and compete in a global society.
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