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Good evening.

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Um tonight I'm here I want to highlight the
urgent

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threat underfunding public schools pose to our
cities and why

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our city councils must push our legislatures
to act before

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it's too late.

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Our schools are in crisis, and without action,
the impact

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will ripple through our entire community.

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Despite a 26% rise in inflation since 2019,
the per

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student basic allotment has remained as
stagnant as $6,160.

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Meanwhile, Texas has a $21 billion education
surplus.

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In 2023 alone, $4.5 billion in recapture

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funds were redirected to States General Fund
instead of being

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reinvested in education.

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Restoring to the 2019 level would cost just
9.3 billion,

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a fraction of what is available today.

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An increase of $1,600 in the basic allotment
per student

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tied and then tied to inflation.

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Funding based on enrollment, not attendance.

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All recapture funds are deposited into the
state education fund,

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not into the general fund.

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And last, a firm no to vouchers that take
money

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away from public education.

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By raising the per student allotment and tying
it to

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inflation, our student school districts can be
solvent, resolving the

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district's most pressing financial challenges.

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A study by Rice University's Kinder Institute
found that 73%

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of Texas school districts are underfunded,
with 17% 17% operating

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at a 40% gap.

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Imagine trying to pay your household bill with
40% less

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than you need.

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What would you what would your option be?

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Foreclosure, bankruptcy?

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Downsizing?

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Unfortunately, this is the reality for Texas
school districts, especially

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the high cost of urban areasten affected by
recapture.

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Raising a basic allotment would reduce
recapture, keeping more local

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dollars in our communities where they belong.

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With that, I will turn over to my colleague
Daniel,

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who will take his time.

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Thank you for your time.

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Thank you.

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We have Dale Frey.

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Good evening, fellow board members, and thank
you for your

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audience.

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What I would like to do right now is continue

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the conversation from our previous speaker.

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More specifically, I want to take a minute and
go

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over some numbers.

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Frisco ISD's deficit spending is 31 million.

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Denton's is 24 million, and Louisville ISD is
22 million

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in deficit.

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That's almost a total of 80 million in deficit
spending

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among the top three school districts in our
area.

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This is a drop in the bucket, by the way,

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compared to Dallas' ISD's 186 million deficit
dollar deficit.

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A study from the Public Policy Institute of
California found

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that a 10% increase in school funding over 12
years

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resulted in 7.7% higher wages for students
later in life,

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a 9.8 increase in family income for those same
students.

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And another study found that property values
increase when school

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districts invest in their teachers and staff,
which is 80%

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of Frisco ISD's budget.

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When schools lose funding, they are forced to
close schools,

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cut academic programs, and push teachers out.

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Every child is impacted.

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Well, the city council should care because
underfunded schools harm

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entire communities, not just students.

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The ripple effects touch every aspect of our
city, including

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property values dropping, community
reinvestments declining, career opportunities
shrinking,

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small businesses closing due to shrinking
local economy, and crime

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rates increase as opportunities shrink.

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We can already see the warning signs.

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Louisville ISD has closed five public schools,
Plano has closed

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four, and many other districts are currently
deciding which schools

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they must close.

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Denton has a new skill building without
students, and districts

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are switching over to four-day school weeks,
and Frisco is

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phasing out the Hart Harp program.

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If we don't act now, the cost of fixing this

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crisis will later be far greater because
families don't move

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to a city for the hope of a voucher.

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They move for great schools, family-friendly
communities, and opportunities.

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I urge each of you, City Council members, I
urge

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each of you to contact our legislatures and
demand an

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increase to the basic allotment by $1,600 and
tie it

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to inflation.

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Our schools and our city cannot afford to wait
another

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two years.

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The damage it will do will be irreversible.

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Thank you, City Council members.