History+of+Texas+School+Finance

History of Texas School Finance

EDLD 5342 In my opinion, the top three events in the historical background of Texas school finance would be: 1) Mirabeau B. Lamar persuading the legislature to establish land grants to support education, 2) the Texas Constitution in 1845 providing for the establishment of free schools and calling for state taxes to support education, and 3) Edgewood v Kirby, 1989, resulting in the Texas Supreme Court ordering the Texas legislature to establish an equitable system. In the first event, we have the President of the Republic of Texas recognizing the importance of education by providing actual funds to establish public schools and universities. Rather than an “unfunded mandate,” Lamar provided the land grants that allowed the schools to be established and remain funded for many years ahead. The second event is also important due to the further recognition that education should be funded by the state and also the use of state taxes in a specific way to fund the state’s mandate. The resulting Permanent School Fund has been a crucial component in school funding in Texas. I believe that the Edgewood lawsuits have been very significant in our state. Providing equal opportunity for all students across the state should always be our goal. I think the impact of these decisions will continue to affect us for many years to come.