Hundreds of Texas school districts are celebrating Wednesday's court ruling, which declared the state's school finance system unconstitutional.
"The judge recognized the constraints that Austin and other Texas school districts are facing," said Dave Duty, director of intergovernmental relations for the Austin Independent School District. "We feel vindicated and are hopeful."
State District Judge John Dietz found, after a 26-day trial, that the current school finance system, known as "Robin Hood," fails to provide sufficient funds to all school districts - especially those in property-poor areas. The system takes money from property-tax rich districts and distributes them to poorer ones.
More than 300 school districts presented complaints to the court.
State lawmakers now have one year to come up with a new school finance plan. They had met for one special session last spring to develop a new school finance system but couldn't come to a consensus.
"This was just the first step in the legal process that is ongoing. As I have said all along, a legislative solution is preferable to a judicial mandate, and I will continue to work with legislators to find common ground on property taxes and school finance regardless of how the courts ultimately rule," said Gov. Rick Perry in a written statement.
State Attorney General Greg Abbott said he will appeal the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court.
"It is important to remember that this case is not about whether the current school finance system is good or bad, whether it can be improved or what changes will better prepare our children for the future. ... The only issue in this case is whether the current school finance laws are constitutional," Abbott said in a press release Wednesday.
Joe Ross, superintendent of the Fort Worth Independent School District, said he was pleased by the ruling.
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