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October 17, 2011

JISD joins funding lawsuit

Karla Clark Jacksonville Daily Progress

JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville ISD Board of Trustees decided to join a coalition of more than 200 school districts across Texas that has filed a suit against the state.  The coalition is suing the state on claims of unequal distribution of funding for students.

“Jacksonville is in the lowest 20 percent in the state for funding per student,” Superintendent Joe Wardell said.  “I personally feel like any student at Jacksonville is as important as any other student in the state.”

The coalition, led by the Equity Center in Austin, filed suit Oct. 10.

Wardell said the school district made the decision to join the suit because of great disparities across school districts in how much money the state gives per student.

“There's no rhyme or reason to it … Even in our own county there's up to $1,000 in disparity in funding per student,” he said.

Although the amount doesn't seem like a lot, when you start doing the math, it adds up, he said.

“If you start figuring 5,000 students, and $1,000 per student, that's close to $5 million,” he said.

The school district does have the option to withdraw from the suit, in case it drags on for years, JISD President James Houser said.

Wardell said the lawsuit has been in the works for nearly two years, but school districts across Texas were waiting to see if the legislature would address the finance system while in session.

He said state legislators had every opportunity to remedy the situation and have chosen not to.

“The only way things will ever change with school finances is a court fight,” Wardell said.

In other items of business:

• The board made three nominations to the Board of Directors of the Cherokee County Appraisal District: Michael McEwen, Cecil Pond, and Brent Stahelin.  Pond and Stahelin currently serve on the board of directors.

• The board also approved the passage of the goods in transit tax, which would apply to certain goods transported into town and stored in a public warehouse more than 175 days. Jacksonville currently does not have any goods that fall under that category, but the passage of the act is required by state law if the school district wants to tax such goods in the future.  The passage of the tax does not require the school district to collect the taxes from businesses that may have eligible goods at some future point.

• The board also approved the 2011 certified tax roll.

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