John K. Dietz
John K. Dietz was the judge of Texas District 250.[1] He served from 1991 through 2014.[1]
Elections
2010
Dietz was re-elected after running unopposed.
Education
Dietz received his B.A., M.A. and J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.[2]
Noteworthy cases
Judges rules Texas school funding is unconstitutional
On February 4, Judge John K. Dietz, of the District Court 250, ruled that Texas public school funding is unfair, inefficient and, ultimately, unconstitutional. The ruling favored school districts, who sued the state last year regarding a $5.4 billion cut to public education funding passed in 2011.[3][4]
Dietz decided that the way in which public schools are funded must be changed by the Legislature. He pointed to the disparity between increased standards for the schools set by the Legislature accompanied by a decrease in funding. However, the state is expected to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, so the Legislature will likely wait for that decision before tackling the issue.[5][6]
The lawsuit sets a record as the largest school finance case in Texas; 600 districts, representing three-quarters of the state's students, were involved in this suit against the Texas Education Agency. The trial began on Oct. 22, 2012 and took 240 hours in court.[5] There have been six comparable cases since 1984. In 2005, Judge Dietz issued a similar ruling, directing the Legislature to change the school funding system.
Following the ruling, several school superintendents voiced their support. David Belding, the Millsap superintendent, stated,
| “ | "For the judge to rule that the finance system is inequitable and inefficient, inadequate and unsuitable, and a statewide de facto property tax, is a very strong judgment."[3][7] | ” |
For more information on education policy, visit Policypedia.See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Travis County, "250th District Court"
- ↑ LinkedIn, "John Dietz," accessed December 22, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Weatherford Democrat, "School districts await ruling’s impact," February 6, 2013
- ↑ Odessa American Online, "Lawsuit ruling good news for schools," February 7, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Observer, "Judge Rules School Finance System Unconstitutional, Case Heads to Texas Supreme Court," February 4, 2013
- ↑ Palestine Herald-Press, "Area educators laud landmark decision," February 6, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
