School districts are starting to talk tough about the lack of money they’re getting from the state of Texas.
Southlake’s Carroll ISD says they’re going to sell land because the state isn’t giving them enough money to operate and they’re not the only ones.
"Texas ranks 43rd, 43rd in per pupil funding," said Texas Association of School Administrators President LaTonya Goffney.
Superintendents and school board members from across Texas are in Dallas this week for a convention, and dozens of them from big and small towns, left and right learning, stood together to say the state’s not giving them enough money.
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They added plans to let parents use state money to pay for private school, will take a bad situation and make it worse.
"There's only so much in a savings account. You can't keep going back to the savings account and there's nothing to replenish it with either," said Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde.
"They’re funneling money away for other interests and there’s really no proven evidence to say that it works, that’s a serious blow to public education. We’ll all struggle if this moves forward," said Frisco ISD Superintendent Mike Waldrip.
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Superintendents say neighborhood schools could close as well as many programs cut to allow parents to divert money to lower the cost of private schools. There are polls out there from both sides of the debate, some showing parents want; others showing they don’t want such programs.
The governor has vowed it’s a conversation that will happen this fall, and pushed the benefit of letting parents divert tax dollars, but business leaders, PTAs, and superintendents past and present stood up to say they’re going to not only fight against vouchers but fight for more money to pay teachers, security guards, and programs that students need.
"We're not interested in compromising, for vouchers to gain school funding. This is a hill that we're willing to die on. We believe so strongly in the public schools, that we are not willing to compromise to the governor's agenda," said Texas Association of School Administrators Vice-President Chris Morna.
The special session is expected to come as early as sometime in October.
