News in the Legislature

Robin Hood Funds
From BISD's Insight Newsletter May 2003
Under the state equalization payment legislation (commonly called the Robin Hood Plan), BISD is classified as a Chapter 41 (property wealthy) district.  The following amounts have been sent to the state by Brazosport Independent School District since the law was passed:

March 19, 2003
State Representative Dennis Bonnen and State Senator Kyle Janek plan to introduce bills that would change the Robin Hood Plan.

These two Brazoria County legislators plan to introduce bills they say will lessen financial burden to “wealthy” school districts under the Robin Hood school finance plan.
Just more than 100 of the state’s approximately 1,040 school districts are considered “wealthy”. Some have had to make cuts in order to make payments to the state. (Last school year, BISD lost $12.6 million to recapture. It cut or reduced 26 staff positions. This year, it lost $11.2 million.)

January 14, 2003
On January 14, 2003, the 78th Session of the Texas Legislature convened in Austin.  The Legislature is expected to begin its session facing a budget shortfall of as much as $5 billion for the next biennium, with some estimates even higher.  In addition to the formidable task of developing a budget that balances an ever increasing call for state services with a slowing economy, legislators will face a number of complex issues, including property and health insurance and public school finance.

Despite expected budget constraints and earlier predictions that school finance reform would be postponed to a future session, a groundswell of support for action appears to be building.  The Joint Select Committee on School Finance that was formed last legislative session to study public school finance and recommend changes is expected to offer several ideas presented during public hearings held across the state, but make no specific recommendations. Senator Teel Bivins, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, has already acknowledged that school finance will be “front and center” this legislative session, and has called for $1 billion of new spending for education in addition to funding needed for growth. The Texas Association of School Boards’ 2002-04 Advocacy Agenda includes as a priority that, “additional state resources [be provided] to local school districts to increase the fiscal capacity of the school finance system and to provide districts the resources needed to meet rising expectations.” Additionally, many members of the Texas Legislature faced the local issues of public school finance and property taxes during their campaigns and feel compelled to deliver.

The District will closely monitor the 78th Session of the Texas Legislature and will continue to stay in touch with our local legislators. The legislative contacts are included in "Hot Topics" for your convenience.

From BISD's Insight Newsletter Jan 2003