Carroll ISD Joins School Finance Lawsuit

Carroll School Board members voted unanimously January 9 to join 80 other public school districts in supporting a lawsuit brought against the state of Texas by members of the Texas School Coalition. Represented by the law firm of Haynes & Boone, the districts plan to sue the state for failing to adequately fund public education while accountability standards and expectations have increased and because the current system relies on a state property tax formula that prevents local districts from having the control to generate money for enrichment.

The lawsuit is one of four different school finance cases in Texas, but Trustees say they feel it most closely supports Carroll ISD’s interests in the finance matter. Most of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Chapter 41 or Robin Hood districts. Carroll joins Plano, Frisco, Grapevine-Colleyville, Northwest, Highland Park and Richardson ISD locally. The district’s cost for the suit will be $1 per Weighted Average Daily Attendance per year (less than $8,000).

The Texas Constitution requires that the state provide efficient and adequate funding for public schools. It also says that school districts must have the ability to choose how they spend the money they bring in from property taxes. Legal experts anticipate the case making it all the way to the Texas Supreme Court. Some believe the four lawsuits will eventually be consolidated into one case against the state, according to attorney John Turner of Haynes & Boone.