AUSTIN – State Representative Leighton Schubert (R-Caldwell) issued the following statement on the $1.6 billion school funding plan announced by State Representative Dan Huberty, who chairs the House Public Education Committee:
“Making sure that our public schools have the tools necessary to educate the future of Texas is one of the most important responsibilities we have in the legislature. Even though last year the Texas Supreme Court deemed the school finance system constitutional we in the House have said that we weren’t going to take that as an excuse to do nothing. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our superintendents to make sure that our schools are adequately funded and treated fairly across the state.”
During the interim period since the 2015 legislative session, Representative Schubert held numerous meetings with constituents from around House District 13 and held an education summit with area superintendents in Fayetteville. Among the public education issues discussed was the pending expiration of the “hold-harmless” provision known as “Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction,” or ASATR. Schubert filed House Bill 856, which would extend ASATR funding for another two years as a stopgap measure in case the legislature did not address the larger question of how the state funds public education. Several school districts in House District 13 are facing a loss in funding when ASATR expires in September.
Schubert has also filed House Bill 875, which removes a punitive funding adjustment, originally enacted decades ago, which requires school districts with less than 300 square miles to receive less state funding.
Representative Schubert represents District 13 in the Texas House of Representatives, which includes Austin, Burleson, Colorado, Fayette, Grimes, Lavaca, and Washington Counties. He serves on the Committee on Energy Resources, Committee on Special Purpose Districts, and the Committee on House Administration.
