Texas Gov. Greg Abbott addresses attendees of the Parent Empowerment Night at Reflections of Christ’s Kingdom on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 in Houston.under consideration in the Legislature backfill the revenue they’re taking from local school districts, education policy experts around Texas are concerned about what they mean for the long term finances of schools.
Texas schools face major funding hurdles, and education advocates who tried and failed to win extra financial support from the Legislaturethrough an increase to what's known as the"basic allotment," or per student funding — are warning that property tax compression will make school districts even more reliant on the state over time.
“Not only do we not know where the money is going to come from in the future to replace this, but then we’re not going to be able to make any improvements,” said Chandra Villanueva, a policy expert with the left-leaning think tank Every Texan. “Instead of raising the basic allotment which would allow districts to keep more money, they started messing with the tax rate.”property value growth greater than 2.
“Texans want to own their own property, not rent it from government. We must provide that by eliminating property taxes in Texas,” Abbott saidThe amount saved would differ by school district, but according to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, the compression plan would save the average homeowner about $471 a year.