DOCUMENT RESUME ED 408 132 RC 021 043 AUTHOR Cardenas, Jose A. TITLE Texas School Finance Reform: An IDRA Perspective. INSTITUTION Intercultural Network, Inc., La Grange Park, Ill. REPORT NO ISBN-1-878550-63-2 PUB DATE 97 NOTE 392p. AVAILABLE FROM IDRA, 5835 Callaghan, Suite 350, San Antonio, TX 78228-1190 ($30) . PUB TYPE Books (010) Information Analyses (070) Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC16 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Advocacy; Bilingual Education; *Court Litigation; Educational Change; *Educational Equity (Finance); *Educational Finance; Educational History; *Educational Legislation; Elementary Secondary Education; *Finance Reform; Financial Policy; Mexican American Education; Politics of Education; Public Education; School District Wealth; School Districts; School Taxes; State Aid; State Departments of Education IDENTIFIERS *Edgewood Independent School District TX; Intercultural Development Research Association; Rodriguez v San Antonio Independent School Dist; *Texas ABSTRACT This book chronicles the history of school finance reform in Texas between 1968 and 1995. Specifically, the book focuses on the substantial changes in the method of funding Texas public schools, aimed at creating a more equitable system of educational opportunity. The author, Dr. Jose A. Cardenas, founded the Intercultural Development Research Association, which is dedicated to the principle that all students are entici,:d to eaual educational opportunities. Dr. Cardenas has been actively involved in school finance reform since the early 1970s when he was superintendent of the Edgewood Independent School District, a poor Mexican American district in San Antonio, and when the historic Rodriguez vs. San Antonio ISD litigation (involving Edgewood) was settled. The book begins with a description of the Texas system of school finance from 1950 through 1973, focusing on its major flaw--"local enrichment"--and on myths and misconceptions of school finance. The remainder of the book details court cases, legislation, and advocacy efforts and concludes with the current status of school finance reform. Dr. Cardenas' recollections, impressions, and opinions are substantiated by a collection of documents compiled during the 27-year period that includes correspondence and memoranda, reports of meetings and conferences, financial records, legal records, and publications. The book contains 159 references on school finance, a list of 142 court cases, and an index. (LP) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** L C U S DEPARTMENT OF Office of Educational ResearchEDUCATION ED and Improvement ATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS This document has been reproduced as MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY received from the personor organization originating it Minor changes have beenmade to r improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinionsstated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI positionor policy TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" LIS BEST COPY AVAILABLE Texas School Finance Reform An IDRA Perspective Jose A. Cardenas, Ed.D. Intercultural Development Research Association 1997 3 TEXAS SCHOOL FINANCE REFORM: AN IDRA PERSPECTIVE Cardenas, Jose A., Ed.D. Copyright © 1997 by Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) ISBN 1-878550-63-2 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or by the publisher. Requests for such permission will be most generously handled by: IDRA 5835 Callaghan Road, Suite 350 San Antonio, Texas 78228 Distributed by IDRA Manufactured in the United States of America 1098765432 1 First Edition DEDICATION To the INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (IDRA) for its commitment to children and its 23-year effort in the improvement of educational opportunities through school finance reform, and To the present and past MEMBERS OF THE BOARD of IDRA for their unwavering support and generosity, To the STAFF OF IDRA for their continuous efforts in behalf of children, and Very specially, to executive director MARIA "CUCA" ROBLEDO MONTECEL, who provided the motivation, en- couragement, support and assistance for the development of this publication. In my 46 years in education, I have found no person with a greater love of and dedication to children. Con mucho cariiio, Jose A. Ccirdenas 5 SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I extend my appreciation to Ms. Sarah Aleman, IDRA Computer Specialist, who processed most of the docu- ments found in this publication. Her expertise in locating, retrieving and editing files provided valuable as- sistance in the insertion of IDRA and legal materials into the publication, and To Ms. Lucy Estrada, secretary to the executive director and board of IDRA, who provided me with con- sistent and dependable assistance during the development of this manuscript, and To Alston Russell for her assistance in proofreading the manuscript, attorneys Robert J. Myers and Al Kauffman for their review and recommendations on the litigation chapters, Craig Foster for editing the Prop- erty Tax Equity Chapter, Dr. Sally Andrade for editing the early chapters and Dr. Marfa "Cuca" Robledo Montecel for reviewing the entire document. To Dr. Albert Cortez, director of the IDRA School Finance Project. Achievements in school finance reform in Texas during this period can be attributed to his expertise in the subject, his insights into the political pro- cesses and his extensive participation in the formulation and implementation of equalizing alternatives. His efforts have resulted in a significant increase in educational opportunities for the children of Texas. I extend similar appreciation to Albert Kauffman and the staff of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and to Craig Foster, the Equity Center and its staff for their contribution to the Texas school finance reform effort. JAC PREFACE In the 27-year period between 1968 and 1995, there was a substantial change in the method of funding public schools in Texas. In general, the changes reflect a movement toward a more equitable funding system which provides a stronger fiscal foundation for equality of educational opportunity. Judging by the number of inquiries about this change being received at our IDRA offices, historians, soci- ologists, political scientists and other social scientists have a strong interest on the who, what, when and how of the Texas reform. Unfortunately, there is little public information available on the catalytic forces respon- sible for the reform. Little is known about who did what during these 27 years of change. Not surprising, in the absence of accurate information, a substantial amount of erroneous information is surfacing concerning actors and roles during the period of reform. Persons who performed in trivial roles are being credited with leadership roles; persons who made substantial contributions are being ignored. In this publication, the author purports to provide extensive information on the reform of public school fi- nancing in Texas. The author participated in the reform movement, from the preparation for the trial of Ro- driguez v. San Antonio ISD, to the enactment of the current statutes for the funding of schools. The author's recollections, impressions and opinions are strongly substantiated by an organizational col- lection of documents compiled during the entire 27-year period. These documents include correspondence and memoranda, reports of meetings and conferences, financial records, legal records and publications. When ap- propriate, references have been made to these sources in the publication. We trust that this information will be useful not only for historical purposes, but that it can provide a blue- print for persons and groups interested in bringing about future reform in schools and other social institutions. Jose A. Cardenas Intercultural Development Research Association San Antonio, Texas January 1997 VII 7 TEXAS SCHOOL FINANCE REFORM: AN IDRA PERSPECTIVE Fighting the Good Fight FOREWORD Only an indefatigable optimistwhich Jose Cardenas clearly iscould have undertaken a task as ambitious as a history of Texas school finance reform. And only a true story-tellerwhich Jose clearly is as wellcould have pulled it off. The subject is Texas-sized, which is reflected in the book's length and heft as well as the 27 year time period it covers. In less capable hands it would be as dull as a long stretch of West Texas highway on a hot summer day. Yet even as Jose tells the full story, in all its richness and detail, he tells it with the same intensity and enthusiasm he brought to the reform effort itself. Indeed, it may be best to think of this imposing tome as a "professional" autobiography. It is, to be sure, professional in the fullest sense of that term (it "professes," and what it professes is an abiding belief in simple equity) and it is autobiographical, as it must be to tell the story. The fact is that Jose and Texas school finance reform are inextricably bound together, just as Jose's institutional creation, Intercultural Development Re- search Association, which, among other things, was the fiduciary and