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.
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.
Other links
that may be of interest:
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