Texas Supreme Court rules school finance system unconstitutional News
Texas Supreme Court rules school finance system unconstitutional

[JURIST] The Texas Supreme Court [official website] Tuesday declared a statewide property tax unconstitutional because it sets a cap limit that most school districts are at or near already. The ruling [text] partly affirmed and partly reversed a prior decision by District Judge John Dietz [JURIST report] which also held that the finance system does not provide equal funding to both rich and poor students, a disparity that the Court did not see in violation of the constitutional requirement for a “general diffusion of knowledge.” The Court, which suspended Dietz' mandate that the state legislature correct the problem within a year of his ruling, has ordered lawmakers to correct the property tax limit by June 1, forcing Governor Rick Perry [official website] to call another special session regarding the school finance system. The legislature has already failed to correct the problem in its regular session and two special sessions this year. The Houston Chronicle has more.