The legislative debate over fixing public school finance in the state of Texas has fast become a boondoggle for Texas taxpayers.
With a spring special session on public education already finished and rumors of another one to take place in July, taxpayers will be spending an average of $1.2 million per session, and so far without anything to show for it.
School finance reform was unsuccessfully debated during the past three regular legislative sessions, but schools are now in a state of crisis, and there is no plan for how to rescue them. School districts all across the state have laid off hundreds of staff members, including teachers, and cut many non-essential programs.
Besides the taxpayers' loss, the new Republican majority is also set to lose greatly if the issue has not been settled by the November elections. The last special session, however, revealed how difficult tackling education might be. By the time it was over, Gov. Rick Perry's plan had been completely thrown out, Speaker Tom Craddick was losing his hold over the House, and nothing had been accomplished. So much for Republican leadership.
Fiscal conservatives, most notably Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn (who is rumored to be preparing to run for governor), were critical of Perry's plan to tax strip clubs, arguing such revenue streams were unstable. Social conservatives were reluctant to fund schools through what they deemed morally questionable means.
In the end, they could only decide on what they didn't want - mainly, raising taxes. But how Republicans plan to adequately fund schools without raising or adding taxes remains a mystery.
The state's Robin Hood provision, which was designed to transfer property tax revenue from wealthier districts to poorer ones, has been the primary source of equitable school funding in recent years.
However, poorer districts are not receiving enough from the provision, and wealthier districts confronting increased property taxes are reluctant to give up the tax dollars used to fund their own schools. Meanwhile, the state's share of funding for education, now roughly 30 percent, has decreased over the past several years.
The fact that a solution does not easily rest along party lines further complicates the situation. When it comes to education, most legislators focus on pleasing their own districts. Wealthier districts expect cuts in property taxes, many demand an end to the Robin Hood system, and business lobbies refuse to accept sales tax increases or payroll taxes.
Although both Republicans and Democrats made it a top priority to address school finance at their recent state party conventions, neither produced any tangible proposals in their party platforms. Republicans made a weak attempt to support pilot voucher programs. Both list their lofty goals for what should constitute a quality public education, but neither expressed any new ideas on where the money should come from.
In a June 24 interview with Austin National Organization for Women, Strayhorn stated the obvious: "The state needs to pick up more of the tab." Legislators must soon make a difficult choice. To avoid cutting other areas of government, they must raise taxes or, as Strayhorn declares, "they have said no to public schools."
With an income tax out of the question, it looks as though either consumers, businesses or property owners will have to pay - one hopes it won't be Texas children.
Pruett is a history senior, a member of UT Watch and an intern for Rep. Lon Burnham, D-Fort Worth.
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