Avalon Independent School District

Stand With Us

 

Recently, the Avalon ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to join the lawsuit against the State of Texas with respect to school funding. The decision was fairly easy considering the unequal funding that our district has received over the last six years compared to other districts in the state. Basically, it comes down to us being subject to a broken system of school funding that legislators have failed to remedy. This lawsuit was imperative at this time in order to force a solution to this great legal and moral injustice. Currently, there are over 300 districts that have joined the lawsuit.

 

     We could write a dissertation about the flaws in Texas public school funding, but the story is better told in plain numbers. The state average of funding per student is $5,432. Avalon is funded at $4,754 per student for a difference of $678 per child. The difference from the Austin average of $6,116 is $1,362. Those are the basic numbers. Overall, if we were funded at the state average, Avalon ISD would bring in $334,932 MORE in funding. Per classroom of 22 students, those funded at the state average generate $18,984 more than our funding level. Austin classrooms generate $38,136 more per 22 students than Avalon ISD. When we look at the top 15% funded districts, Avalon ISD receives $63,449 LESS per 22 students. That’s right… $63,449 for every classroom of 22. Over the last six years, those districts have received $380,694 more for every 22 students than Avalon. Currently, Avalon ISD is the 36th lowest funded district in Texas – the bottom 3% of all 1024 districts in the state. Overall, the range of revenue per student in districts across the state varies from less than $5,000 to more than $12,000 for the 2011-2012 school year. Even within the same city, revenues can vary greatly per district even at the same tax rate. For example, San Antonio ISD is funded at $5,313 per student this year while Alamo Heights (in San Antonio city limits) is funded at $6,682 (Equity Center 2012). In the case of Avalon ISD, our $1.17 tax rate does not bring in the same revenue per student that other comparable sized districts, taxing at $1.04 or less, will generate this year.

 

     Why is that district receiving more to educate a child than Avalon ISD? A child is a child, right? All of the children in Texas deserve the same funding, right? There should be no argument to that question. Of course they do! The difference in funding has nothing to do with this child or that child. The difference is based on a snapshot of the economics of the community and a change in the school funding system from six years ago.

 

     The Texas public school system is a massive system with over 1,024 school districts. Those districts employ over 600,000 people, of which more than 320,000 are teachers. The total enrollment of Texas school children is over 4.8 million. An enrollment of 4.8 million is 10% of the nation’s children. Of the 4.8 million Texas school children, over 2.8 million are economically disadvantaged and 1.5 million under the age of 18 are living under the poverty level. These data are alarming and our public school system should be one that is responsive to the needs of all children. Cutting educational funding by balancing the state’s budget in 2011 on the backs of our children’s educational opportunities was not the type of response the Texas educational system needed. The budget shortfall was self-inflicted and was no fault of our children or our taxpayers.

 

     Why is this lawsuit necessary? Texas school funding is arbitrary, it is irrational, but most of all it is unfair. It is unfair to each child, teacher, staff, taxpayer and the Avalon community in general. The Texas legislature has had many recent opportunities to remedy how it funds the education of its children, but has failed to address the broken school finance system. It is unfortunate that it takes legal action to force a guaranteed right as written in the Texas Constitution. It is not only a legal responsibility, but a moral responsibility as well.

 

     The coalition leading all efforts relating to the lawsuit is the Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition. The districts that have joined in the effort are urban, rural, large, small and everything in between. The common characteristic shared by these districts is that they are chronically underfunded and their taxpayers and students are not being treated fairly by the current school funding system. This suit is comprehensive and will address the legal issues of adequacy, suitability, equal protection, meaningful discretion, statewide property taxes, efficiency, student equity and taxpayer equity.

 

     The goal of the lawsuit is to achieve a funding system that treats all Texas children and taxpayers fairly, and provides each child the opportunities for a world-class education. I believe it is important to inform all of you on such a major objective taken by the district. We believe it is imperative that we stand up and represent for our students, taxpayers, and the community of Avalon, Texas. Our children share the same dreams, hopes, and aspirations as any other child in Texas and deserve the same funding opportunity as any other child or any other zip code. We are required to meet the same academic standards and we have done so unquestionably over the past six years. Imagine what more our students could achieve with a playing field of equal and equitable size as any other child in the state.

 

     We hope you stand with us.

 

Best regards,

 

Dr. David Del Bosque

Superintendent

Avalon ISD