Advocates in the State of Texas, which has experienced six major litigations regarding inequities in school funding over the past 40 years, appear to be gearing up for another round. Although the previous litigations had made progress toward both equity and adequacy in education funding, rising costs, declining revenues and legislative changes in the funding formulas have undermined past reforms.

A state-wide finance lawsuit against the Texas legislature will be filed possibly next month according to the Equity Center, an Austin-based education research and advocacy organization. The Equity Center argues that the current funding formula is insufficient because per-student funding varies substantially based on the tax rates associated with Texan property values.

Plaintiffs’ complaint will be filed by a group of school districts, parents, and the Taxpayer and Student Fairness Association.  More than 300 schools have already joined this effort, one that does not plan to press for increased funding, but rather seeks a more equitable funding formula for Texas public schools.