The state commission tasked with recommending ways to overhaul k-12 education funding is close to issuing a final report to Texas lawmakers.
The commission met Tuesday to discuss a preliminary draft of the report.
The draft has 29 recommendations, including a call for the state to contribute more money, a push to better support English language learners and students from poor neighborhoods, and a suggestion to limit local property tax rates.
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The draft also recommends providing additional funding based on student performance — a suggestion some commission members found controversial.
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“I don’t see why we can’t go to schools and say, ‘You should do these things and if you do them then here’s help from us’ as opposed to — to some degree — creating another high-stakes testing environment,” said state Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio.
In order to free up funding for its priorities, the commission is also recommending eliminating outdated sections of the funding formula, including the cost of education index, which hasn’t been updated since 1991.
A final draft of the report is slated to be released later this month ahead of the 2019 legislative session.
Camille Phillips can be reached at Camille@tpr.org or on Twitter@cmpcamille