Advocating for public schools

Good evening. Um tonight I'm here I want to highlight the urgent threat underfunding public schools pose to our cities and why our city councils must push our legislatures to act before it's too late. Our schools are in crisis, and without action, the impact will ripple through our entire community. Despite a 26% rise in inflation since 2019, the per

student basic allotment has remained as stagnant as $6,160. Meanwhile, Texas has a $21 billion education surplus. In 2023 alone, $4.5 billion in recapture funds were redirected to States General Fund instead of being reinvested in education. Restoring to the 2019 level would cost just 9.3 billion, a fraction of what is available today. An increase of $1,600 in the basic allotment per student

tied and then tied to inflation. Funding based on enrollment, not attendance. All recapture funds are deposited into the state education fund, not into the general fund. And last, a firm no to vouchers that take money away from public education. By raising the per student allotment and tying it to inflation, our student school districts can be solvent, resolving the

district's most pressing financial challenges. A study by Rice University's Kinder Institute found that 73% of Texas school districts are underfunded, with 17% 17% operating at a 40% gap. Imagine trying to pay your household bill with 40% less than you need. What would you what would your option be? Foreclosure, bankruptcy?

Downsizing? Unfortunately, this is the reality for Texas school districts, especially the high cost of urban areasten affected by recapture. Raising a basic allotment would reduce recapture, keeping more local dollars in our communities where they belong. With that, I will turn over to my colleague Daniel, who will take his time. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. We have Dale Frey. Good evening, fellow board members, and thank you for your audience. What I would like to do right now is continue the conversation from our previous speaker. More specifically, I want to take a minute and go over some numbers.

Frisco ISD's deficit spending is 31 million. Denton's is 24 million, and Louisville ISD is 22 million in deficit. That's almost a total of 80 million in deficit spending among the top three school districts in our area. This is a drop in the bucket, by the way, compared to Dallas' ISD's 186 million deficit dollar deficit. A study from the Public Policy Institute of California found

that a 10% increase in school funding over 12 years resulted in 7.7% higher wages for students later in life, a 9.8 increase in family income for those same students. And another study found that property values increase when school districts invest in their teachers and staff, which is 80% of Frisco ISD's budget. When schools lose funding, they are forced to close schools, cut academic programs, and push teachers out.

Every child is impacted. Well, the city council should care because underfunded schools harm entire communities, not just students. The ripple effects touch every aspect of our city, including property values dropping, community reinvestments declining, career opportunities shrinking, small businesses closing due to shrinking local economy, and crime rates increase as opportunities shrink. We can already see the warning signs.

Louisville ISD has closed five public schools, Plano has closed four, and many other districts are currently deciding which schools they must close. Denton has a new skill building without students, and districts are switching over to four-day school weeks, and Frisco is phasing out the Hart Harp program. If we don't act now, the cost of fixing this crisis will later be far greater because families don't move

to a city for the hope of a voucher. They move for great schools, family-friendly communities, and opportunities. I urge each of you, City Council members, I urge each of you to contact our legislatures and demand an increase to the basic allotment by $1,600 and tie it to inflation. Our schools and our city cannot afford to wait another two years.

The damage it will do will be irreversible. Thank you, City Council members.