Five years after Cy-Fair ISD cut more than $106 million from its budget because of state-mandated cuts and budget shortfalls, a judge ruled the state's school finance system unconstitutional. The case is far from over, as the state is expected to appeal the decision to the Texas Supreme Court this year.

"Judge Dietz's ruling is a key early victory for students and teachers in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and across the state," Superintendent Mark Henry said.

More than 600 Texas school districts joined one of five school finance-related lawsuits against the state, which were combined by Dietz during the trial. CFISD first joined the Fort Bend ISD vs. Robert Scott lawsuit in December 2011, which revolved around the notion that school funding should be adequate and equitable.

Leaders have said the funding cuts in the previous legislative session were unavoidable because the state faced a historic shortfall of up to $27 billion, but legislators have also not earmarked any replacement funding during the current legislative session—even as the state is flush with cash from oil and gas profits.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has advocated holding out money to pay into the system in anticipation of having to spend more money on schools in light of a supreme court decision. But he and other leaders have deferred action on either overhauling the school finance system or restoring any funding until after the Texas Supreme Court makes its ruling—an idea that does not sit well with some lawmakers who fought the cuts last session.

The Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers also urged lawmakers to act and not wait for a ruling, which could come next year.

"Today's ruling should spur the Legislature to do what it ought to be doing anyway—using the state's resurgent revenue to restore school funding that was cut severely last session and reforming the school finance system to satisfy constitutional requirements," Texas AFT President Linda Bridges said. "The inevitable appeal that the state's lawyers will pursue in this case must not become an excuse for legislative inertia. The state needs to invest more in public education immediately because the kids can't wait."