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"What is the solution for these disgruntled Republicans? How would they fund schools?"

What I hear proposed most often would be to first create a "John Sharp Commission" for Spending Cuts rather than a commission for new taxes. For revenue, many of the conservative base around here and a few conservative state Senators favor a generally applied sales tax to address school budget needs, but only after all school district budgets in the state are audited. Spending cuts, then new taxes if necessary, is the order of events that adheres to basic conservative principles and the stated platform of the Republican Party in Texas.

What I hear proposed most often would be to first create a "John Sharp Commission" for Spending Cuts rather than a commission for new taxes. For revenue, many of the conservative base around here and a few conservative state Senators favor a generally applied sales tax to address school budget needs, but only after all school district budgets in the state are audited. Spending cuts, then new taxes if necessary,

You know, don't you, that the governor and legislature cut nearly $4 billion out of the state budget last session? Hell, they even cut the CHPS program, so that handicapped kids were being deprived of therapy, until they hurriedly put that back in.

School districts are a separate entity and the state is not going to audit them. If you have a problem with school spending, jump on your school board.

Your solution sounds like Strayhorn's: close business tax loopholes, cut spending (nobody ever says where).

And an increase in the sales tax might work, but estimates I saw indicated it would have to go up a full percent. That means we'd be paying 9.25 percent up here in DFW.

How is that any different from passing on a business franchise tax to consumers?

You do have to give the governor credit for getting his people on this site to keep attacking the base.

Yea, have appraisals go up at twice the rate of inflation.

Have the school property tax rate increase dramatically in most districts on top of that (when bonds are included).

Have the school districts act (or whine) as if all of their new students are living in tents (i.e., parents not paying property taxes).

And then go get these people to attack your base because they (the base) don't understand that the schools are underfunded.

Here in Harris County, we conservatives are now convinced that Dems (or anyone else) must be put into power, simply based on the way that Perry's people treat Mr. Patrick (not to mention how they treat us on this site).

I expect a LOT of surprises in November, and even more once Mr. Partrick takes office and starts getting himself involved in Republican Primaries.

As to myself, I'll continue to vote Republican at the federal (as the Dems will simply wreck this country's security), but not at the state level, not until the base is listened to. If that means throwing out my state rep and maybe state senator, so be it. Mr. Perry can then work with the people he's more comfortable with anyway - the Dems.

(oh, did I mention all of the towns and cities increasing their sales tax RATES over the past couple of decades)

So long...