From the Capitol to the Schoolhouse: An Analysis of the 1990 Education Finance Act. A Special Financial Report.

In the 1989 "Edgewood vs. Kirby" decision, the Supreme Court of Texas ordered the Legislature to correct the inequality in funding between the state's richest and poorest school districts. In response to the court's order, the Legislature recently enacted Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) intended to provide Texas' school districts with equal access to enough funds to provide quality educational programs. By the 5th year, with sufficient increases in state funding, districts that are identical except for their property wealth should have the ability to raise the same amount of revenue per pupil at the same tax rate, equalizing the quality of education for all the state's students. SB 1 also establishes several new programs designed to improve the efficiency and quality of school programs and operations. Three charts illustrate the changes in school funding and total costs of SB 1, and the amounts of 1990-91 revenue and spending measures. Appended are five charts that are indicators of Texas' economic status for the past year; eight additional charts that show other pertinent data; a table that summarizes production/consumption of six commodities; and three state financial tables. (MLF)