Repost!  We received resolutions  from Quitman ISD Superintendent Rhonda Turner and CFO Melinda McGinnis  that were passed by their school board. The intention was to correct a 30 year old part of the complicated public school funding formula which has been described as baseless, not related to any costs associated with educating children and punitive.

Over 30 years ago, the State adopted two formulas to recognize the additional cost to educate children in a small school district. These additional costs were determined to be significant enough that the State established a cost-based multiplier of .0004 for small school districts in Texas. Small schools were defined in statute as those with 1600 or fewer students For purely political reasons, a second formula was put into statute that penalized small school districts of less than 300 square miles by lessening their multiplier (.00025). There was no basis for establishing this second, punitive formula or funding these certain small districts at a lower level. - Equity Center

Bills were filed in the last session to resolve this punitive aspect of our funding formulas.   My Senator (Nicholls) and Representative (Ashby) filed bills because East Texas has a number of small, low funded school districts.  

• Senate Bill 324  (Nichols)
• House Bill 645 (Ashby, Lufkin)

The bills had great support last session, but due to a clogged legislature they died without hearings or votes. I have high expectations going forward that this  penalty will be removed.

The Equity Center provides the following resources for Texas’ small school districts (below 1600 ADA):

• This excel spreadsheet indicated the impact of making this change.  Excel Report (Updated 10.10.2016)
• NEW TARS SDA penalty resolution
• NEW Equity Center SDA penalty resolution
• Removing the Punitive Small Schools Formula - Talking Points
• Sample Op Ed
• Righting the Wrong - PowerPoint Presentation
• Small School Resolution

This is a “no brainer”.  - js - webmaster@texasisd.com