Public school funding has been an ongoing issue for years. No matter how wealthy the district is, there can be an issue for all when the funds are not distributed fairly. Without enough funds from the government, schools cannot provide adequate supplies for the classroom, cannot provide sufficient transportation cost and cannot pay salaries to those involved in the school district such as teachers and administration. Public school funding also helps provide reduced and free meals to students who qualify. What a lot of people don’t know is where all of this money is coming from and who is paying for it.
The majority of the things that are provided in public school funding, are paid for by the taxpayers of Texas. There are three major sources …show more content…
Local property taxes have generated billions of dollars for the public school systems in Texas. Property taxes are the taxes that one pays for their property each year. This money is then sent back into the public schools once sent out from the county tax accessor. This money also goes into hospitals and other programs. In state funds, all of the money going in to public education goes to the Texas Education Agency who then distributes it to the local school districts. State funds are provided by several different funds such as the Foundation School Fund, the available school fund, the economic stabilization fund, lottery proceeds, property tax relief fund as well as other state funds (FAST, n.d.). With the Foundation School fund, the Texas Constitution dedicates around 25% of revenue from state occupation taxes such as oil production tax and natural gas production tax. The Foundation School Fund, is how the state determines the amount of money that is given to the districts (Smith, 2011). The Available School Fund receives their money from the states permanent school fund which is an endowment consisting of state owned land and mineral rights, royalty earnings and stocks and bonds. Lastly, the property tax relief fund, established by the legislature in 2006, consists of revenue gained from the state franchise tax, taxes on cigarettes and tobacco and the tax on sale of used motor vehicles. In Federal Funds, there are different grants and formulas in which they aid the Texas Education Agency. In 2013, through these different grants, The Texas Education Agency received $5 billion (FAST, n.d.). Other grants and formulas include the No Child Left Behind Act, which helped distribute funds to support education of students at a disadvantage due to poverty, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which distributed funds to help support
The majority of the things that are provided in public school funding, are paid for by the taxpayers of Texas. There are three major sources …show more content…
Local property taxes have generated billions of dollars for the public school systems in Texas. Property taxes are the taxes that one pays for their property each year. This money is then sent back into the public schools once sent out from the county tax accessor. This money also goes into hospitals and other programs. In state funds, all of the money going in to public education goes to the Texas Education Agency who then distributes it to the local school districts. State funds are provided by several different funds such as the Foundation School Fund, the available school fund, the economic stabilization fund, lottery proceeds, property tax relief fund as well as other state funds (FAST, n.d.). With the Foundation School fund, the Texas Constitution dedicates around 25% of revenue from state occupation taxes such as oil production tax and natural gas production tax. The Foundation School Fund, is how the state determines the amount of money that is given to the districts (Smith, 2011). The Available School Fund receives their money from the states permanent school fund which is an endowment consisting of state owned land and mineral rights, royalty earnings and stocks and bonds. Lastly, the property tax relief fund, established by the legislature in 2006, consists of revenue gained from the state franchise tax, taxes on cigarettes and tobacco and the tax on sale of used motor vehicles. In Federal Funds, there are different grants and formulas in which they aid the Texas Education Agency. In 2013, through these different grants, The Texas Education Agency received $5 billion (FAST, n.d.). Other grants and formulas include the No Child Left Behind Act, which helped distribute funds to support education of students at a disadvantage due to poverty, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which distributed funds to help support