Two former Republican members of the Texas Legislature who chaired education committees urged the state to increase the funding for public schools, which has remained stagnant since 2019.
Former state Rep. Dan Huberty and former state Sen. Larry Taylor wrote in an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle that education in Texas isn’t going well, pointing out that less than a half of third graders are able to read on grade level and that math achievement has decreased.
Both Huberty and Taylor served as education committee chairs in the House and Senate, respectively, and helped the passage of HB 3. They acknowledged that, under their experience, “funding is not the answer to every challenge facing our students.”
However, Texas school districts have been facing serious funding problems, some of them have been forced to close schools because of shortfalls.
“We are very concerned about the impact of stagnant per-pupil funding, which has not been raised since the 2019 legislative session,” Huberty and Taylor wrote. A state’s Legislative Budget Board recently published a report of school funding and found that state funding has decreased since 2019 because of inflation. According to the report, in 2019, schools received around $11,011 per student; in 2024, schools received $9,074.
“That represents an 18% decrease in inflation-adjusted funding at a time when our public school leaders and teachers are trying to do the critical job of helping our students recover academically from the dramatic impact of COVID,” they wrote.
“Every Texan can understand what it means to be running a household, a business or an organization on 2020 dollars in 2025.”
In addition to inflation, the Legislature has also passed laws requiring schools to spend more money in new measures. For example, now schools are required to have an armed guard on every campus.
Huberty and Taylor said they are passionate supporters of a strong public education system, and that they’re willing to work alongside policymakers and stakeholders to address the problem.
“Education policy will be at the forefront of the 2025 legislative session, and we are eager to work alongside all lawmakers and Texans to craft a budget proposal that recognizes historic rises in school costs and is mindful of fiscal stewardship,” they wrote.
Both Huberty and Taylor finished their terms in 2023, after not seeking reelection.
