State Lawmakers Won’t Have To Devise New Education Funding

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) 9:45 a.m.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the state Supreme Court's ruling on the school finance system shows it has "flaws ... but it is constitutional."

The Republican oversees the state Senate and is a former chairman of the chamber's powerful education committee.

He said Friday's ruling confirms what many in the GOP-controlled Legislature already believed.

The ruling concludes four-plus years of legal battles in Texas' largest-ever school finance case, and means state lawmakers won't have to devise a new funding plan.

The lawsuit was filed by 600-plus districts in 2011, after the GOP-controlled Legislature cut $5.4 billion from classrooms.

Texas uses a "Robin Hood" system where districts share property tax revenue. A lower court judge had previously ruled that the funding system inadequate and unfairly distributed between school districts in rich and poor areas.