During a panel at SXSWedu on March 6 at the Hilton Austin, panelists said about 10,000 teachers were laid off during the 2011–12 school year because of budget cuts made by the 82nd Texas Legislature.

"Overall, this is a big red flag for the state of Texas," said Robert Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that conducts research in schools to help improve children's education. Sanborn said that to have good public education in Texas, schools must be funded appropriately.

"There needs to be funding for education, especially if we want to excel," he said.

Children At Risk's findings showed that during tough financial times in Texas, some districts, such as Dripping Springs ISD, came up with innovative ways to save money, including the elimination of custodians and having students and staff clean up.

Other districts made changes in areas such as transportation by creating a central pickup location, instead of offering door-to-door bus service.

Sanborn praised districts such as Hutto ISD, which licensed its mascot, the Hippos, to raise money.

The group's data revealed that areas most affected by cuts were athletics departments, libraries, student support staff, and teacher and administrative professional development. Another area that was significantly reduced was pre-kindergarten, which saw decreases in programs from full to half-days.

The findings also showed that successful schools have enthusiastic teachers and leaders who make informed decisions based on data, and have overall strong collaborative leadership, Sanborn said

Sanborn said the organization's solutions to the issues are to increase and equalize funding for schools to give children at all public schools the same educational opportunities.

Other proposed solutions include improvements to pre-K programs by implementing a maximum class size and serving meals during the day.