COVID-19 upended Texas schools’ finances. Now they’re calling for a new funding system.

Members of Parmer Lane Elementary’s parent-teacher organization advertise an informational meeting about the potential closure of the elementary school to parents during student pickup in Pflugerville on Jan. 9, 2023. (Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune)

During a triumphant 2019 ceremony at Parmer Lane Elementary in Austin, Gov. Greg Abbott sat on a small stage in front of a large Texas flag as he signed a massive overhaul of the state’s public school finance system.

The new legislation injected $6.5 billion into public education spending, plus about $5.1 billion devoted to lowering Texans’ property tax bills. It included raising the total amount the state gives schools per student by about 20%, setting aside funds for teacher raises and reducing the amount of money wealthy districts would have to send to poorer ones under the state’s recapture program, informally known as “Robin Hood.”