Judge rules Texas public school funding system unconstitutional
By: Ashley Hinson
Updated: February 4, 2013
State District Judge John Dietz ruled in favor of the more than 600 school districts, including Lubbock ISD and Frenship ISD who argued that current state funding is unconstitutional.
The judge's quick ruling that state money is not being equally divided comes after a long trial process that began last October.
The issue of fairness started back in 2006, when lawmakers changed the way they handled school funding, dividing the money to each district by how much the school spent that year.
That decision is what Lubbock ISD's Board of Trustees President Steve Massengale said brought up a major equality issue, especially for LISD who is currently in the bottom 15 % in the amount of state funding they receive.
Massengale said even Lubbock-Cooper ISD receives a great deal more than they do, but Massengale is hopeful that today's ruling is a step in the right direction.
"One of the most important thing that we fund as a state is broken," said Massengale. "So I'm excited that we prevailed. What I hope this results in is a much more equitable system where we see school districts across the state being funded in a very, very similar fashion."
The state is expected to appeal the decision, going then to the Texas Supreme Court for the final say.
