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Fact check: Has Texas adequately increased public school funding to keep pace with inflation?
February 29, 2016
By Paul Brennan
Both candidates in the Republican primary election in Texas House District 115 on March 1, 2016, describe themselves as conservatives, but in a joint appearance before the editorial board of The Dallas Morning News on February 9, they expressed very different opinions on a number of issues, including public school funding.[1]
According to the paper, incumbent Matt Rinaldi (R) “believes school districts are adequately funded and need only redirect money from ‘administrative waste’ to the classroom,” while challenger Bennett Ratliff (R) “says the state has not adequately increased funding to keep pace with growth and inflation.”[2]
Following the joint appearance, Ratliff received the newspaper’s endorsement. But is his claim about public school funding accurate?
Public schools and the Texas Constitution
It’s not surprising public school funding would be an important election issue in 2016. The Texas Supreme Court is currently considering the state’s appeal of a district court ruling that found that public school funding is so inadequate it violates the state Constitution.[3]
The state’s obligations regarding public schools are laid out in the first section of Article 7 of the Texas State Constitution.
| “ | A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.[4] | ” |
There is no definition of either “suitable provision” or “an efficient system” in state law, and this has led to a series of lawsuits over the past four decades.[5]
The first lawsuit was filed in federal court, and in 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that proper funding levels were a matter for state government to decide, not the federal courts. The subsequent lawsuits have all been filed in state court, and each ended with the Texas Supreme Court deciding that funding levels were constitutional.[6][5]
The most recent state supreme court ruling on school finances came in 2005. In Neely v. West Orange Consolidated Independent School District, the court ruled public education funding was “adequate” in “the constitutional sense” of “whether public education is achieving the general diffusion of knowledge.”[7]
“Whether public education is achieving all it should—that is, whether public education is a sufficient and fitting preparation of Texas children for the future—involves political and policy considerations properly directed to the Legislature,” Justice Nathan Hecht wrote in the majority opinion.
In the case currently before the state's Supreme Court, Williams v. The Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition, the trial court found, in part, that the rapid growth of the public school population combined with a decline of funding on a per-pupil basis meant the state was failing to meet its constitutional obligation.[8]
Enrollment and funding
Texas public schools have seen a substantial growth in the number of students since the turn of the century. Between 2003 and 2013, the student population grew by 823,897, an increase of 19 percent. The make-up of that population also changed during those years, with the number of low-income students increasing by 35.7 percent.[9]
The Texas Legislature has recognized that low-income students face challenges other students do not, so state law provides an additional 20 percent to the standard per-pupil funding it provides school districts.[10]
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas increased overall education spending by $2,974,038,000 between 2003 and 2013, when the dollar amounts are adjusted for inflation. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index inflation calculator, the $30,005,043,000 Texas spent on education was worth $37,988,450,000 in 2013.[11][12] That year total education spending was $40,962,488,000.[13]
During the same period, spending per-pupil declined when adjusted for inflation, despite the substantial increase of the number of low-income students who receive extra funding. In 2003, Texas spent $8,332 per-pupil, according to census data. That would have been worth $10,549 in 2013, according to the BLS calculator. The census reports Texas spent $10,191 per-pupil that year.
Conclusion
Whether or not Texas public school funding is adequate is ultimately a political question for state legislators, and the voters who elect them, to decide, but Ratliff is only partially correct about the amounts spent in Texas. Per-pupil spending has not kept up with inflation, although overall public school spending has outpaced inflation.
Launched in October 2015 and active through October 2018, Fact Check by Ballotpedia examined claims made by elected officials, political appointees, and political candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. We evaluated claims made by politicians of all backgrounds and affiliations, subjecting them to the same objective and neutral examination process. As of 2025, Ballotpedia staff periodically review these articles to revaluate and reaffirm our conclusions. Please email us with questions, comments, or concerns about these articles. To learn more about fact-checking, click here.
Sources and Notes
- ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Facing off for third time in House race, Ratliff and Rinaldi battle over conservative credentials," February 9, 2016
- ↑ The Dallas Morning News, "Editorial: We recommend Ratliff in GOP race for Texas House District 115," February 11, 2016
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, "Case: 14-0776," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Equity Center, "Texas School Finance History," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Justia, "San Antonio Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Rodriguez," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ FindLaw, "Neeley v. West Orange Cove Consolidated Independent School District," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ The District Court of Travis County, Texas, "Williams v. The Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Texas Education Agency, "Enrollment Trends," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Financial Allocation Study for Texas, "Public Education Spending in Texas," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Bureau of Labor Statistics, "CPI Inflation Calculator," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "“Public School Finance Systems, Historical Data: 2003,” accessed February 26, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, “Public School Finance Systems,” accessed February 26, 2016
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