Texas Governor Greg Abbott has faced criticism for the Northwest Harris County school district’s necessity to implement significant budget cuts. With a student population exceeding 118,000, the district’s financial strain can be attributed to the insufficient funding provided by the state.
In February, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD), a top-rated public school district in Houston that caters to students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, projected a deficit of $73.6 million in its 2023-24 budget.
During a regular board meeting on February 12, Karen Smith, the Chief Financial Officer of CFISD, expressed that the budget deficit was a result of both high inflation, with rates rising by 19 percent between September 2019 and August 2023, and insufficient funding from the state.
According to Community Impact, the majority of its funding for the fiscal year 2023-24 was derived from local property taxes, totaling $619,370,494. The budget also received $423,808,208 from state funding and $27,141,180 from federal support. Despite receiving approximately $65 million in federal stimulus funds, CFISD anticipates a budget shortfall due to estimated expenses of $1.2 billion.
Funds for public schools in Texas are distributed to each district based on a formula that takes into account factors such as student enrollment, attendance, and district size.
Abbott’s recent push for school vouchers, which would provide parents with funds to enroll their children in private schools instead of public ones, has faced strong opposition from Democrats and teachers who argue that it will negatively impact public schools.
Bryan Henry, an educator and activist, has attributed the challenges faced by CFISD to the Abbott administration. As the founder of Cypress Families for Public School, a non-profit organization focused on education, Henry has been vocal about holding the administration accountable for the issues.
In a recent statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Henry expressed his frustration with the proposed budget cuts, stating that each one of them could have been avoided. He pointed out that the state of Texas, which has been under Republican leadership for more than two decades, is consciously neglecting its responsibility towards the education of its children. Henry further emphasized that the current economic situation does not justify these cuts, as there has been no recession and the state has actually experienced a significant surplus in tax revenue. In his view, there is more than enough money available to adequately fund education in Texas.
“The Republican Governor and Republican State Senate made the decision to defund public schools as a result of their failed attempt to pass the voucher bill in the State House. Despite numerous opportunities to allocate additional funding, which is warranted considering the effects of inflation and population growth, they chose to withhold necessary resources from public schools.”
Henry claims that Texas Republicans are intentionally depriving school districts of necessary funding, resulting in significant budget cuts. He asserts that their attempt to redirect public tax dollars to private Christian schools was unsuccessful, leading them to resort to this detrimental strategy.
According to Texas congresswoman Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat, CFISD’s funding issues can be attributed to Governor Abbott. In a statement on X, she confirmed, “As a member of the TX House Public Education Committee, I can confirm that Gov. Abbott blocked funds for TX schools as payback for his failed voucher scam.” Hinojosa further emphasized, “Now, Texas kids are facing a funding deficit of $40B below the national average, while our state coffers remain full.”
