Education+History+in+Texas

Educational History of Texas Reflecting on the history of Texas Education, I find it interesting that under the New Constitution in 1876 the Permanent and Available School Funds was established. The amount of the allocation of twenty-five percent of general revenue should be dedicated to education. It also interesting that the concepts of adequacy, equity and efficiency are still the ideas that drive Texas Education. Institution of the Gilmer-Aiken Laws brought more accountability and structure to Texas Education. The law brought an organized approach to how the State would supplement local taxes. Many thought that education was the responsibility of the State and this idea is still prevailing today. The state legislature was view as not doing enough to support education, which led to strategies that ended up working its way through the court system. The Supreme Court ruled that education was not a fundamental right or liberty and therefore does not qualify under the Equal Protection Clause. This idea should also be considered when it comes to the Federal Government’s involvement in local education. The equalization of funding for school districts presents complications for both rich and poor districts. Districts with rich tax bases want to keep their tax dollars for their communities and those poor districts feel that they should be helped by the more affluent districts. The Legislature will continue to try and create a taxing system that will embrace both rich and poor. The Robin Hood approach has not been effective in getting dollars to the poorer district to equalize the gap between rich and poor. As long as we are dependent on the rich taking care of the poor, equalization will not happen without many more court battles.