Politics & Policy
September 2, 2014
Weekend Wobbles
Two court rulings and a debate over a debate add up to a couple of headaches for Abbott.
School Finance
Politics & Policy
September 2, 2014
Another Round of School Finance
It is all but certain that Attorney General Greg Abbott will appeal Judge Dietz’s school finance ruling. It’s classic Abbott. He has to win, even if he realizes that he is going to lose.But the Legislature’s treatment of the schools during the 2011 session all but guarantees a loss for Abbott.
Politics & Policy
June 24, 2014
Another inch forward
A visiting judge has ruled that John Dietz can continue to preside over the school finance case.
Politics & Policy
April 4, 2014
The Lesson of School Finance
The ongoing lawsuit regarding the state’s public school system is expected to come to a head in May, when Travis County district judge John Dietz could issue his ruling. The question is whether Texas’s funding of public schools is inadequate, and, therefore, violates the Texas constitution’s imprimatur in Article VII
Politics & Policy
May 6, 2013
Remember the School Finance Case?
In February, Judge John Dietz ruled that the state's current school finance system was unconstitutional. However, the legislature's restoration of some of last session's deep cuts to schools during the 83rd legislative session could be a game changer for the lawsuit.
Politics & Policy
January 31, 2012
Will conservatives jump into the school finance fight?
I was talking to an attorney for the plaintiffs in the upcoming Supreme Court case, when he said that conservatives may intervene in the school finance lawsuit. Their contention, the attorney said, is that an efficient system could be achieved with school choice and vouchers. A school finance lobbyist told
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2011
School finance deal reached: part Eissler, part Shapiro
This is an exact quote from the working paper of a senior adviser to Straus: Option 1 Year 1–50% reduction from target revenue & 50% reduction from regular program Year 2–50% reduction from target revenue & 50% reduction from regular program Provisions sunset 8/31/2-13 Interim Committee to study school finance