This study investigates the regulatory and financial incentives driving up expenditures and examines the fiscal accountability of school districts to taxpayers. Economist Milton Holloway reviews the economic performance of three Texas school districts and finds their accounting systems were not designed to differentiate between required spending and discretionary spending. This calls into question claims that public schools have insufficient funds to provide core instructional programs.
Taxes & Spending
Bigger in Texas: Sizing Up the State’s Finances
Every even-numbered year, the state’s Legislative Budget Board (LBB) publishes a helpful, user-friendly summation of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), otherwise known as the state’s two-year budget. On Wednesday, the LBB published the next iteration—its 2024-25 Fiscal Size-Up. From a 30,000 ft. level, this new report provides “a comprehensive review of how tax dollars were...
August 2, 2024