August 28, 2014 5:18 PM

Reactions roll in as Dietz affirms school finance system is unconstitutional

The constitutional rights of disadvantaged and Hispanic students are not being met, judge says

State District Judge John Dietz has given school districts a sweeping victory in the school finance case despite the efforts of lawmakers last session to pump another $3.4 billion into the school system to minimize school funding cuts.

Dietz announced his ruling from the bench in February and reaffirmed it with his ruling and findings today. School districts won on almost every point, with the exception of the Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition’s fair and uniform tax claim, which he did not address in his ruling.

The biggest winner out of the ruling today will likely be school districts in the Edgewood plaintiffs. These were the school districts, mostly small and economically disadvantaged, that have found that taxing at maximum capacity still does not yield the kind of funding seen in larger, wealthier districts.

That means the Texas Supreme Court, where this will likely be appealed in the next month, is going to have to face the question of academic gaps between white and non-white students head-on when the case is finally heard next year. Attorney David Hinojosa of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund said Dietz’s indictment of the system last time was broad; this time, it’s specific.

In short, Dietz agreed the gap in funding between poor Hispanic-majority districts and their wealthier neighbors is too large; the amount provided is insufficient to address disadvantaged students and English language learners; and even if those school districts maxed out their tax rate, they couldn’t catch up with their peers.

By Kimberly Reeves