School Envy" legitimized by Robin Hood 
By Bill Keffer
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas The legislatures initial signal that because of an estimated $25 billion budget shortfall draconian cuts are in store for everyone including public education got the school districts & local media to declare a crisis. Local television stations are airing recurring news stories under such titles as Operation: Education" and Crisis in the Classroom."
School districts are convening emergency meetings and warning of teacher lay-offs and school closings.
Regardless of the outcome the fundamental problems with public school funding in Texas will remain.
There are only two duties that the state Constitution requires of the legislature:
- Balance the budget and
- Make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools."
Unfortunately the legislature has allowed the court to define that obligation and it is both unworkable and financially unsustainable.
Its time for the legislature to retake control of public school support and maintenance."
Before the advent of the Robin Hood" system (whereby so-called wealthier" districts are compelled to send their local property-tax revenue to so-called poor" districts) people made decisions on where to live based on the quality of the school district.
Robin Hood has legitimized school envy" where your school district isnt allowed to have more than my school district. So now the state has to referee and enforce what has evolved into an undeniably socialist system.
Rather than continue with a failed Soviet Union model the legislature should define the content of a core education and commit to sufficient statewide funding to implement that program.
Everything beyond that core education -- typically activities and courses considered extracurricular -- should be the sole responsibility of each individual school district. Local property-tax revenue should be used exclusively to fund the programs that each community decides to support.
Undoubtedly some districts will end up having and doing more than others. But the legislature will be carrying out its constitutional obligation and each local school
district will have the flexibility and independence to decide the rest.
A case can be made that each child is entitled to a basic education but no practical case can be made that everyone is entitled to everything.
Bill Keffer is a Dallas attorney who served in the Texas legislature from 2003-2006. His email address is bkeffer@mklaw.net.
