Fact check: Public school funding in Texas
September 27, 2017
By Amée LaTour
Louis Malfaro, president of the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote an op-ed calling upon the legislature and governor to increase state funding for public schools, claiming, "Since the early 2000s, funding for public education in Texas, adjusted for inflation, has been flat. Texas remains near the bottom of state rankings (36th nationwide) in classroom spending, more than $2,300 less per pupil than the national average."[1][2]
Is Malfaro correct that funding for public education in Texas has been flat since the early 2000s? Does the state rank 36th nationwide in per-pupil spending?
Total public education funding in Texas has not been flat since the early 2000s. Adjusting for inflation, spending has increased 28.6 percent between the 2004-05 school year and 2015-16 ($50.3 billion to $64.8 billion). Per-pupil spending (adjusted) has fluctuated from a low of $8,633 to a high of $9,867 since the 2004-05 school year; in 2015-16, it was nearly the same as in 2004-05.[3]
Texas ranked 36th (out of 50 states plus Washington, D.C.) in the National Education Association's (NEA) 2016 ranking for per-pupil expenditures, $2,316 below the national average of $11,787.[4]
Background
The Texas budget for the 2018-2019 biennium includes $60 billion for K-12 education (from federal and state sources).[5] Property taxes collected by communities for local school districts are projected to total $64.7 billion in 2018 and 2019, according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).[6]
In subsequent budget action, the legislature in August approved a supplemental appropriation of $351 million for the Texas Education Agency, which oversees K-12 education.[7]
School funding has long been a contentious issue in Texas. Following a series of cuts by the legislature, more than half the state's school districts challenged the constitutionality of the funding system, saying that the system was inadequate and therefore in violation of the Texas Constitution. The Texas Supreme Court in 2016 ruled against the districts, holding that education policy is the legislature’s prerogative.[8]
Public education expenditures
According to data from the Texas Education Agency, total spending (adjusted for inflation) increased 28.6 percent between 2004-05 and 2015-16 ($50.3 billion to $64.8 billion). In the same period, the student population increased 20.5 percent (4,383,264 to 5,281,243).[3]
Per-pupil expenditures have fluctuated throughout that time. Per-pupil spending for 2016 was 3.9 percent higher than in 2005 ($9,086 to $9,442).[3][9]
Texas ranked 36th out of the 50 states and D.C. for per-pupil spending in the 2015-16 school year, based on fall enrollment numbers. The National Education Association estimated that the state spent $9,471 per pupil compared to the national average of $11,787—a difference of $2,316 per student.[10][11][4]
Public education revenue distribution by source
Since 2004, the proportion of Texas Education Agency revenues from state sources has increased and the proportion of local property tax revenues has decreased, although local property taxes remain the largest source of revenues.[12][3]
Conclusion
Louis Malfaro, president of the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote an op-ed on July 26 calling on the legislature and governor to increase state funding for public schools, claiming, "Since the early 2000s, funding for public education in Texas, adjusted for inflation, has been flat. Texas remains near the bottom of state rankings (36th nationwide) in classroom spending, more than $2,300 less per pupil than the national average."[1][2]
Total public education funding has not been flat since the early 2000s. Adjusting for inflation, spending increased 28.6 percent between 2004-05 and 2015-16 ($50.3 billion to $64.8 billion). Per-pupil spending has fluctuated since the 2004-05 school year. Per-pupil spending for 2016 was 3.9 percent higher than in 2005.[3] Texas ranked 36th (out of 50 states plus Washington, D.C.) in per-pupil expenditures, $2,316 below the national average, according to the National Education Association.[4]
See also
- Texas state budget and finances
- Fact check/Has Texas adequately increased public school funding to keep pace with inflation?
- Fact check/Is Oregon seriously underfunding education?
Sources and Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Houston Chronicle, "Malfaro: Tell the Legislature our kids are worth it," July 26, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rob D'Amico, communications director at Texas American Federation of Teachers, told Ballotpedia that Malfaro was using classroom spending as a generic term for per-pupil spending. Amée LaTour, "Email communication with Rob D'Amico," August 10, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Texas Education Agency, "PEIMS Financial Standard Reports - Financial Actual Reports," accessed August 16, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 National Education Association, "Rankings of States and Estimates of School Statistics," accessed August 16, 2017
- ↑ Legislative Budget Board, "Summary of Conference Committee Report for Senate Bill 1, Appropriations for the 2018-19 Biennium," May 2017
- ↑ Amée LaTour, "Email communication with DeEtta Culbertson, communications division of TEA," September 26, 2017
- ↑ Legislative Budget Board, "Fiscal Note, 85th Legislature 1st Called Session - 2017," August 15, 2017
- ↑ The Supreme Court of Texas, "Commissioner of Education; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts; The Texas State Board of Education; and the Texas Education Agency v. The Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition, et al.; Calhoun County ISD, et al.; Edgewood ISD, et al.; Fort Bend ISD, et al.; Texas Charter School Association, et al.; and Joyce Coleman, et al.," May 13, 2016
- ↑ Excludes the costs of capital outlays (land, buildings, and equipment) and debt service. Including those items gives an increase in per-pupil spending of 4.7 percent between 2004-05 and 2015-16.
- ↑ The expenditures reported by the National Education Association (NEA) include such items as "salaries for school personnel, fixed charges, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs." Expenditures do not include capital outlays or debt service.
- ↑ Ballotpedia found that per-pupil spending figures from the NEA dating back to the 2004-05 school year closely tracked those reported by the TEA, once capital outlays and debt services were subtracted from TEA's figures. NEA's reported 2015-16 per-pupil spending figure was $29 higher than TEA reported. NEA obtained its data from the TEA.
- ↑ In the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, federal State Fiscal Stabilization Fund revenue accounted for 3 percent and 3.2 percent of revenues from the state, respectively. The fund was established after the economic recession by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. See Texas Education Agency, "2009-2010 and 2010-2011 Financial Actual Reports," accessed August 17, 2017
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.
Contact
More Fact Checks
October 30, 2018
August 24, 2018
|
|
