A state district judge ruled Monday that Texas' method of funding public schools was inadequate, unfair and unconstitutional.
The decision still has to pass muster with the Texas Supreme Court, as the state is expected to appeal the ruling later this year.
But Monday's bench decision was a victory for the roughly 600 school districts— nearly two-thirds of Texas districts—that have sued the state over the current funding system.
At the heart of Judge John Dietz's ruling is his belief that education in Texas is woefully underfunded and that the current system of paying for it with property taxes creates an unconstitutional statewide tax.
"We either want increased standards and are willing to pay the price, or we don't," Dietz said in his bench ruling, which came after about 15 weeks of testimony.
The state, which lost nearly every argument, is expected to appeal after Dietz releases his final written ruling next month. The one subject the judge left up in the air was charter schools, which he said was the purview of the state legislature.
Cy-Fair ISD joined the Fort Bend ISD vs. Robert Scott lawsuit, which revolved around the notion that school funding in Texas should be adequate and equitable.
"Judge Dietz's ruling is a key early victory for students and teachers in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and across the state," CFISD Superintendent Mark Henry said. "We celebrate along with 600 fellow districts that see this decision as the first step in the right direction of solving an inequitable state funding system—one that gives CFISD up to $1,000 less per student than our neighboring districts."
