Read Arlington ISD’s legislative priority on school funding

89th Texas Legislative Session opened last month

Texas’ 89^th legislative session could have a big impact on Arlington ISD.

The Texas legislature allocates money for public schools, crafts legislation regarding curriculum, instruction and assessment, and establishes mandates for districts to follow.

That’s why the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees issues a legislative agenda for each Texas legislative session with a series of priorities and recommendations that are important to the district and public education in Texas.

The board’s legislative agenda for the 89^th session highlights three priorities: school funding, safety and academic growth. Today, we’re sharing the funding priority.

SCHOOL FUNDING

Our Position: Texas public schools are currently experiencing a perfect storm of funding impacts. The significant rise in inflation since 2019, the expansion of state mandates, and declining enrollment have forced Arlington ISD, and districts across the state, to adopt deficit budgets. We embrace the opportunity to work with legislators on solutions that put Texas back on track to funding our students at previously attained levels. We ask our legislators to provide sustainable, accountable, and predictable funding for Texas students and classrooms.

• Continue to allot public funds to Texas public schools and to oppose voucher legislation, ensuring all children have access to a high-quality education.
• Increase the per-student basic allotment funding to acknowledge increased classroom costs due to inflation and accommodate educator compensation increases.
• Base school funding on student enrollment rather than attendance.
• Fund the identification and needs of the growing special education student population to ensure students get the services and education they deserve.
• Continue to increase access to affordable health insurance options for public school employees.
• Create property tax appraisal legislation that ensures school funding is not impaired.

Check back next week for the safety priority, or read the entire legislative agenda now here.