Richardson ISD projects 25% drop in funding from the state

As thousands of students head back to school, one North Texas district is concerned that the state's funding is about to significantly decrease over the next two years.

Richardson ISD projects a 25 percent drop in school funding per student over the next two years from the state. To compensate, the district is having to dip into its reserves.

For each student this year in Richardson ISD, the school district projects a drop of $372 compared with last year. It will drop again next year for a total of $650 per student over two years

The Texas system of funding public schools is complicated, and many say it’s outdated. Local districts say they need the state to provide more help

"More and more of the burden for financing our schools is ending up on the backs of our local taxpayers,” said Richardson ISD School Board President Justin Bono. “They're finding other priorities for it. We wish and try to press that public education should be a priority.”

Bono says the state used to provide 50 percent of a district's funding just less than 10 years ago. By next year, the state's funding will only account for a mere 20 percent of the district's revenue.

A spokesperson for Senator Don Huffines says he is forming a commission to address the extremely complex funding formula issue. The senator added that a bill that promised to provide districts with millions more dollars was spending money the state doesn't have.

Huffines said, “Our schools and students deserve better than political games or a hot check backed by monopoly money."