Angelina School Districts Could Lose $1 Million if Budget Passes
The state budget bill just passed by the Texas House would cut state funding of public schools by $8 billion dollars. Every school district in the state would be affected. School districts in Angelina County would lose $1 million each, and local school officials say they're worried.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which is writing its own version of the state budget. Amendments to the House Bill are possible and probable.
Lufkin State Representative James White says “House Bill 1 is a work in progress."
Local school superintendents say they're alarmed by this bill.
Lufkin ISD Superintendent Roy Knight says “The only hope at this point in time to prevent our schools from looking like a 1940s classroom is if the Senate can bring some sense of equity back to school funding.”
Diboll ISD Superintendent Gary Martel, whose district stands to lose anywhere from $790,000 to $1.5 million in state funding, says he hopes and prays that the Senate can provide a better budget.
The House Public Education Committee will hold a hearing today on a substitute bill by Rep. James White. His bill would overhaul current public education funding by moving from a target-revenue system to a more equitable system.
All six Angelina County School Superintendents support this bill, are in Austin to offer testimony and support.
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