The Texas Legislature’s 88th regular session ended on Monday without any increase to the state’s building block for public education spending: the basic allotment. It’s the minimum amount of funding per student that school districts receive from the state.
The last time lawmakers raised the basic allotment was in 2019, when it went from $5,140 to $6,160. But $6,160 doesn’t go as far for school districts in 2023 as it did just a few years ago.
“They're having to cover the increasing costs of fuel, of food, of supplies, of teacher compensation, all of those increasing costs,” said Dax Gonzalez, a division director at the Texas Association of School Boards. “And the state is not offering any support to assist with that.”
To view the full story, visit https://www.kut.org/education/2023-06-01/austin-school-districts-budget-deficits-texas-legislature-per-student-funding