ATPE: “Increasing property taxes to offset state funding for public schools is not the answer”

September 6, 2018 ATPE believes that Texas students deserve well-funded schools &amp; Texas taxpayers deserve for that funding to be fairly collected and rationally balanced <a href="~/Home">The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)</a>, the state&rsquo;s largest association for educators, would like to offer the following statement regarding the news that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is asking Texas lawmakers for $1.5 billion fewer state dollars to fund public schools. In its legislative appropriations request, or its &ldquo;LAR,&rdquo; the TEA has asked Texas lawmakers for 1.5 billion fewer state dollars for school funding compared to last biennium. The explanation is that the agency expects those dollars to be made up by increases&mdash;and an increased reliance on&mdash;local property tax collections. &ldquo;The TEA has once again illustrated a hard fact that two out of three state leaders refuse to face: you cannot honestly address ballooning local property taxes without first addressing the state&rsquo;s addiction to using property value increases to offset state funding for public education,&rdquo; said Monty Exter, ATPE Lobbyist, who has long monitored school finance issues for the association. He added: &ldquo;The 1.5 billion is above and beyond any increases in dollars collected through recapture which are flowed back through the school funding formula on the state side, once they have been recaptured from local districts. While we are certainly thankful that Speaker Straus and many in the Texas House have championed property tax solutions that involve the state paying more of its fair share of the cost of public education, ATPE believes that it is time that all state leaders and state legislators admit that they have a problem using local property tax dollars. For too long, too many of our elected officials have railed against high property taxes while exacerbating the very problem they decry in their campaigns. Texas students deserve well-funded schools and Texas taxpayers deserve for that funding to be fairly collected and rationally balanced.&rdquo; For detailed reporting regarding education policy, follow ATPE&rsquo;s advocacy and education news blog at <a href="https://www.teachthevote.org/news/" target="_blank">teachthevote.org/news</a>. ### About the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) ATPE has been a strong voice for Texas educators since 1980. It is the leading educators&rsquo; association in Texas with approximately 100,000 members statewide. With its strong collaborative philosophy, ATPE speaks for classroom teachers, administrators, future, retired and para-educators and works to create better opportunities for Texas&rsquo;s five million public school students. ATPE is the ally and the voice of Texas public education. Learn more about ATPE at <a href="~/Home">atpe.org</a>. &nbsp;

ATPE: “Increasing property taxes to offset state funding for public schools is not the answer”

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September 6, 2018

ATPE believes that Texas students deserve well-funded schools & Texas taxpayers deserve for that funding to be fairly collected and rationally balanced

The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), the state’s largest association for educators, would like to offer the following statement regarding the news that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is asking Texas lawmakers for $1.5 billion fewer state dollars to fund public schools.

In its legislative appropriations request, or its “LAR,” the TEA has asked Texas lawmakers for 1.5 billion fewer state dollars for school funding compared to last biennium. The explanation is that the agency expects those dollars to be made up by increases—and an increased reliance on—local property tax collections.

“The TEA has once again illustrated a hard fact that two out of three state leaders refuse to face: you cannot honestly address ballooning local property taxes without first addressing the state’s addiction to using property value increases to offset state funding for public education,” said Monty Exter, ATPE Lobbyist, who has long monitored school finance issues for the association.

He added: “The 1.5 billion is above and beyond any increases in dollars collected through recapture which are flowed back through the school funding formula on the state side, once they have been recaptured from local districts.

While we are certainly thankful that Speaker Straus and many in the Texas House have championed property tax solutions that involve the state paying more of its fair share of the cost of public education, ATPE believes that it is time that all state leaders and state legislators admit that they have a problem using local property tax dollars.

For too long, too many of our elected officials have railed against high property taxes while exacerbating the very problem they decry in their campaigns.

Texas students deserve well-funded schools and Texas taxpayers deserve for that funding to be fairly collected and rationally balanced.”

For detailed reporting regarding education policy, follow ATPE’s advocacy and education news blog at teachthevote.org/news.

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About the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)
ATPE has been a strong voice for Texas educators since 1980. It is the leading educators’ association in Texas with approximately 100,000 members statewide. With its strong collaborative philosophy, ATPE speaks for classroom teachers, administrators, future, retired and para-educators and works to create better opportunities for Texas’s five million public school students. ATPE is the ally and the voice of Texas public education. Learn more about ATPE at atpe.org.