School Finance

The first collaborative project through TEGAC was an objective and thorough exploration of how $5.4 billion in cuts to public education impacted Texas schools and students after the 2011 Legislative Session. Member foundations from across Texas pooled their funds to commission a Houston-based nonprofit, Children At Risk, to undertake a year-long, mixed-methods statewide study to objectively assess how budget reductions impacted public schools – for better or for worse. Hundreds of school districts responded to the voluntary survey.

In 2011 Texas’ 82nd Legislature made historic cuts to the public education budget totaling $5.4 billion. Although there has been much discussion surrounding the size of the cuts, little information exists about how the cuts were implemented by Texas school districts and how schools and students were impacted. During the last year, CHILDREN AT RISK conducted a comprehensive research study to provide an objective assessment of the impact of state budget cuts on Texas’ schools and students. CHILDREN AT RISK gave every school district in Texas the opportunity to report on the impact of the budget cuts in their district, and school districts that responded account for 65% of student enrollment in the state. This guide highlights the major findings from our research.