A state judge has declared Texas’ school finance system unconstitutional for a second time, finding that even though the legislature pumped an extra $3 billion-plus into classrooms last summer, the state still fails to provide adequate funding or distribute it fairly among wealthy and poor areas.
District Court Judge John Dietz’s ruling reaffirms a decision he issued in February 2013. He found then that the state’s so-called “Robin Hood” funding formula fails to meet the Texas Constitution’s requirements for a fair and efficient system that provides a “general diffusion of knowledge.”
His final, 21-page opinion blocks Texas from using portions of its current system to pay for schools—but puts that order on hold until July to give the legislature an opportunity to “cure the constitutional deficiencies,” the ruling says. State officials say they will appeal.
