The Local Impact of School Finance Reform in Four Texas School Districts

Abstract

This article describes how four Texas school districts responded to changed fiscal conditions following the implementation of reforms designed to bring greater equity to Texas school finance. Case studies in two poor districts revealed that although there were substantial increases in funding available, very little of this new money was spent on improvements to the core curriculum. In the two wealthy districts, one struggled to maintain current spending levels, with very few changes in priorities, while the other was able to pass a substantial property tax increase for school improvement. However, a substantial portion of the increased funds was used to replace lost state money.