Texas Panhandle school districts are pleading with the state for more funding.
As The Amarillo Globe News reports, a wind farm, as well as several oil and natural gas wells in Roberts County, Texas has given independent school districts in Miami and Bushland a robust tax base to draw from for paying for teachers and buildings, but the tax roll was cut in half this last year as oil and gas prices decreased and a state aid provision districts rely on to guard against economic downturns expires in September.
Many rural school districts in Texas are facing similar issues and pleading with the State Legislature for more funding,
The House attempted to do just than in April, with passage of a school finance bill that included help for smaller districts that receive millions of dollars from the state aid provision each year, but senators reduced the amount of funding the bill would inject into the school finance system.
But, school finance reform has taken a back seat to bills regulating bathroom use and creating a school choice program.