May
24
Written by:
Mark Lavergne
5/24/2011 11:37 AM
Senate Education Chairwoman Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) wants to hold a meeting with House and Senate colleagues, and the Legislative Budget Board and the Texas Education Agency, to educate anyone in need of deeper understanding of the state’s highly complex school finance system.
Last night SB 1851, the Senate’s vehicle for school finance, was killed on a point of order. The only real option now is to put school finance onto SB 1811, the fiscal matters bill currently in conference committee.
“I got the impression from everything I heard that they [in the House] were confused, that they had several options and they couldn’t distinguish between them and they couldn’t get a consensus on any one of the options,” Shapiro told reporters this morning.
Some legislators may not understand all the options, including pro-ration, Shapiro said.
Shapiro wants to have the meeting sometime today, and would aim to “educate, to get people more comfortable with what the options are.” The deadline for the House and Senate to agree on conference committee reports arrives tomorrow.
Shapiro believes there will “absolutely” be a special session if school finance – SB 22 or something like it – does not pass.
She sent a letter to Senate and House Members laying out the Senate’s school finance plan as contained in the committee substitute to SB 22, saying, “I look forward to working with you to bring this issue of statewide concern to a resolution during the remainder of the regular session.”
The discussion could include the options of pro-ration, the Senate’s school finance plan, and the Hochberg proposal, Shapiro said.
“That was my idea this morning and we’re waiting to hear back from the House,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro said the current pro-ration bill was “very muddy” and needs clarification.
Leaving the decision in the hands of the education commissioner to do pro-ration is not a “presentable” option because it would be tantamount to refusing to make a difficult decision, Shapiro said. Pro-ration is “not the Senate’s choice by any stretch of the imagination,” she said.