Legislature must play bigger role in school funding

State government needs to pay a larger share of public education. It's an enormous new responsibility and one lawmakers must take seriously.

The property tax bill that passed House committee this week includes a new system for funding public schools. The state would take control of all revenue from a statewide business property tax; local school districts could tax only residential property at a reduced and limited rate.

If it passes - and it already has the governor's blessing - the state's share of public school budgets will jump from an average of 47 percent to 80 percent.

This is necessary. It would solve a dilemma that has plagued our schools for years: an over-reliance on local property taxes that leads to unequal funding and an ever-increasing burden on property-owners.

But it will be a big change, and local school officials are understandably concerned. As it is now, local districts can raise their property tax rates as high as $1.50 per $100 of property value. Under the new proposal, school taxes could go no higher than 70 cents.

Once they hit that 70-cent ceiling, trustees' hands would be tied as far as raising revenue is concerned. They could boost the rate an additional 10 cents, but only by obtaining voter approval - an unpleasant and unpredictable step. Beyond that, all new revenue for new programs and teacher raises would need to come from the state.

Is this an end to local control? No. Local control is already limited. In Abilene's case, because we are a property-poor district, the state now pays about 70 percent of the cost. And all school districts already contend with myriad regulations and prescribed methods for running the schools.

What this bill would do is draw the lines of responsibility more clearly. The state would prescribe and pay most of the cost for a good education for all Texas children. Local school districts would implement that system, and Bush and other lawmakers insist board members would still have flexibility in doing so.

Endorsing this plan doesn't mean we aren't concerned ourselves. Historically, the Texas Legislature has preferred avoiding financial challenges instead of attacking them head on. If state lawmakers are going to play a bigger role in paying for our schools, they need to do away with some bad habits.

They can't, for instance, let teachers go five or six years without any kind of pay increase, as lawmakers have forced state employees to. When recession hits and tax revenues suffer, lawmakers can't just tell local districts to pay for the problem by cutting programs. They can't let technology needs suffer because the lottery had a bad year. They'll need to find some way to raise the needed money.

School board members, teachers groups and voters, in turn, will need to be more aggressive in lobbying lawmakers. And lawmakers should be more courageous in taking tough steps to improve efficiency. That includes such controversial measures as forcing smaller districts to consolidate or share resources.

It's a big step the Legislature is taking, but it was inevitable. Funding public school through local property taxes worked well for a time, but it doesn't fit the state's new tax structure. This change was needed, but many tough battles lie ahead.