Burnt Orange Report

Editorials about Supreme Court Pub Ed Ruling

By Phillip Martin

Since the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the property tax structure we use to fund our public schools is unconstitutional, many papers have weigned in with editorials. Here are the highlights of eight editorials (four before the jump, four more below the jump) that have been sent to me. (I provided a link to the full editorial when possible, along with the article's title and where and when it was printed, for future referencing).

"Court has spoken: School system on verge of collapse," 11/26/05, Houston Chronicle.

"There is substantial evidence ... that the public education system has reached the point where continued improvement will not be possible absent significant change, whether that change take the form of increased funding, improved efficiencies or better methods of education," the court wrote.

Gov. Rick Perry chose not to emphasize that warning during his postmortem spin session.

He seized instead upon the opportunity to vow (once again) to deliver cuts in local school taxes, an elusive goal that the Supreme Court ruling should finally help him accomplish.

Texans, in return, can expect an assortment of increases in state taxes to pay for the cuts after the Legislature meets to address the court order, probably after the March 7 primaries.

But whether the governor is committed to actually improving the schools remains to be seen.

"Focusing on taxes, not schools," 11/27/05, Austin-American Statesman.

Court testimony in the original lawsuit brought by the school districts estimated it would take about $4.8 billion more per year in school spending to meet all state and federal standards for student education and testing.

But Perry said it "is possible for the Legislature to implement new reforms that will improve student success without necessarily spending additional dollars."

That's something else the court ruling couldn't change: political promises of something for nothing.

"Time's a-wastin'; cut the bickering," 11/26/05, Denton Record Chronicle.

Everybody had best get on this right away. If January is too soon, well, OK; if everyone lacks the courage to make a decision before the March primaries, that’s understandable — disgusting, but understandable.

But, please, governor; please legislators; please remember this: If fear of alienating big business interests paralyzes you into inaction one more time, hundreds of thousands of Texas schoolchildren will suffer. If petty turf battles between legislative houses results in flouting a court order, schools may not open on time next fall.

And that, ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature and the governor’s office, will be all your fault, and everyone in the state will know it.

"William McKenzie: School champions held ground in Austin," 11/23/05, Dallas Morning News.

The school groups also balanced out the many Republicans who were loath to raise taxes to help schools. Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist was pressing from Washington to not raise one cent, and without the coalition pressing for more aid, lawmakers likely would have passed a puny package and gone home.

Maybe that's why some in Austin, mostly House Republicans, came to refer to the coalition members as the "Whiny Ass School People." (I started not to include that vulgarity in a family newspaper, but it reveals the contempt some elected leaders have for those who run our schools.)

Fortunately, the WASPs didn't budge. Our state is better off for their uncommon leadership and independence, which is what this editorial board seeks in bestowing The Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year award.

It would be best if legislators and the education groups could work out a common solution when Austin takes up school finance again. But if Republican leaders keep offering higher standards and little funding, someone has to force the Legislature to give students the means they need to achieve higher ends.

"Lawmakers need to get it together -- and soon," (Registration Required), 11/25/05, Dallas Morning News.

The preferred way of reaching consensus – and making good law – is not a repeat of the deadline-testing battle of wills between the speaker and lieutenant governor.

Texas has seen four such legislative sessions in the past two years and can do without another...

Austin leaders will have scant time to pass a good bill if they have to deal with hastily crafted legislation of this complexity.

The importance of properly funding schools demands true cooperation and early consensus. Only then can the court-imposed reforms have the scrutiny and input from stakeholders that the issue deserves.

"Schools Need More Than Tinkering," 11/23/05, Austin-American Statesman:

Even while upholding the legality of the overall structure and funding of public schools, the court's majority warned that the system is drifting toward "constitutional inadequacy." It also cautioned that the gap in wealth among districts might become so great that it is unconstitutional...

That majority seems to understand that public education in Texas is inadequate and inefficient, even if not unconstitutionally so. This state faces an enormous challenge in devising a system to educate a growing, poor and often unprepared student population.

"To the drawing board editorial," 11/23/05, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

No one who sincerely cares about the future of this state and its children can be happy about any of this. More than a decade down the road, the Supreme Court is still saying that the state should be able to do better.

"Lawmakers get last chance on school finance," (Registration Required), 11/24/05, The Beaumont Enterprise.

Few lawmakers looked good in this process, but House Speaker Tom Craddick was believed to be particularly at fault for his stubborn refusal to compromise in any meaningful way. Maybe now Craddick and other roadblocks to reform will realize that they must act.