Perry calls special session
Lawmakers will work on school finance reform
09:31 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 13, 2004
AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry, still missing the consensus he was looking for, called today for lawmakers to gather in special session next week to fix Texas' broken system of paying for public schools.
Mr. Perry announced that both houses of the Legislature would convene next Tuesday. Special sessions can last up to 30 days, although the governor may call as many sessions as he wants.
"Since the implementation of the Robin Hood school finance scheme, the brightest minds in Texas have pondered a permanent solution," Mr. Perry said. "The time for pondering is over; the time for action is now."
The state's school-finance system is under strain in a variety of ways as the burden of paying for education has shifted from the state to local property owners.
The state now pays for less than 40 percent of public education, and an increasing number of school districts are taxing at the maximum $1.50 per $100 valuation for operating expenses.
State officials have expressed the desire to provide property tax relief while increasing the system's capacity to pay for schools. That'll mean a tax increase for someone.
Mr. Perry and other leaders also want to do away with the state's "Robin Hood" system of equalizing wealth among school districts.
For months, a special legislative committee looked for answers, and top leaders worked to hash out consensus on the right approach.
But lawmakers will wade into the special session without an apparent way out.
Although Mr. Perry initially indicated that he wanted consensus among legislative leaders before calling the session, he later said he was seeking agreement only on broad goals such as reducing property taxes and eliminating the share-the-wealth provisions.
Last week, Mr. Perry laid out his plan, calling for a reduction in local school property taxes, a new state property tax on business and the elimination of the provisions of the law that require high-wealth school districts to share their property tax revenues.
The governor's proposal also includes $500 million a year in financial incentives for school districts and a handful of revenue-raising measures, including a higher state cigarette tax and the legalization of video gambling machines at dog and horse tracks.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, meanwhile, has pitched a more ambitious plan that would do away with Robin Hood, cut property taxes in half and institute a new activity tax on businesses. House Speaker Tom Craddick has not said where he stands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041304dntexsession.d06a.html
