Texas senators seem open to major change to school funding formula

During the Senate Finance Committee’s first public education hearing Monday, senators seemed open to reconsidering the core metric used to determine how much money the state gives schools per student, a switch that many school districts say would result in millions in additional funding.

Several senators questioned Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on whether it would be wise for the state to change the basis of the state’s public education formula from average daily attendance to enrollment, as many Texas superintendents have requested.

“This is a key policymaking question,” Morath said. “An enrollment-based financial system is much more discernible; it's predictable. You have a little bit more budget stability from an enrollment perspective than you do on an average daily attendance basis.”