TEA report shows decrease in state's per-student funding since 2014

Statistics from the Texas Education Agency show inflation-adjusted per-student funding for the state’s public schools has decreased since 2014.

The data, published in late May as part of an annual report, breaks down how much money public schools get from different sources.

Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott used TEA's 2023 report to claim that “per student funding is at (an) all time high," but Hearst Newspapers found those numbers had been incorrectly adjusted for high inflation in recent years.

The San Antonio Express-News reports that the new numbers show that inflation-adjusted per-student funding in fiscal year 2023 was $6,669, below the 2014 figure of $6,680, when Abbott was first elected governor.

Inflation-adjusted school funding is projected to remain relatively flat through fiscal year 2025, reaching just $6,764 per student, the Express-News reported, writing, "Another worrying factor: actual inflation this year has outstripped the state comptroller’s projections. If that trend continues, adjusted Texas school funding could continue to trend downward."

Despite bipartisan support for increased school funding during the 2023 Texas legislative session, Abbott refused to consider it without a private school voucher plan attached, which he says is necessary to empower parents and free children from struggling public schools. TCTA and other public school groups argue vouchers will drain students and money from school districts, further hampering their ability to succeed.