Key Points

  • When making decisions about school finance for public education, it is important to review the full tax picture, including taxes collected at the state and local level.
  • The same businesses and families pay for both local public education funding through property taxes and state public education funding through sales taxes.
  • Texas is spending more on public education in total and per student than ever before.
  • Taxes do not have to be increased to improve student outcomes. Using existing tax dollars, some high-poverty districts are getting relatively good student results.