Supreme Court of the United States, 1973
411 U.S. 1,93 S. Ct. 1278, rehearing denied
Background:
In San Antonio, TX a group of Mexican American parents whose children attended Edgewood Independent School District, an urban school district on the west side of San Antonio, filed a suit against attacking the poorly structure public school financing process in Texas. Their complaint was that schoolchildren across the state who were of a minority class or who were poor and reside in school districts having a low property tax base did not have access to an education equal to that of children in districts with high property tax rates.
Ruling
The high court ruled that children in a district with a low property tax rate cannot be considered a suspect class. They were not being discriminated against according to the Supreme Court because poor families do not all reside in poor school districts. Therefore because no suspect class was recognized there was no need to apply strict scrutiny. The court also ruled that contrary to parent's assertion that education was a fundamental right guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, education is not listed anywhere, explicitly or implicitly as a Constitutional right. The court believed this to be an issue best handled by the State of Texas. Thus, the court reversed the ruling of the appeals court.
My Side:
I completely agree with the court in that there was no suspect class here because funding for education is based on property tax bases within districts which fall across class and race. Poor families live in rich districts, middle class districts and poor districts. I also agree with the courts that the system must be fixed to equitably share the responsibility of educating the children of Texas. The court also said that they are in no position to rule on something that is reserved for the Texas State Legislature. They send this back to the state to fix which set in motion a myriad of school finance cases which developed several solutions only to end up with a future shortfall in excess of $9 billion in 2009.
Something will have to be done. Either a state income tax will be passed or the Texas State Constitution will have to be amended to permit statewide ad velorem taxes to be paid to the state and then redistributed on a per pupil basis statewide in order for all districts, rich or poor, to begin down road to educational equality.
This case would fall under Domain 1.2 because of the social, political and economic implications affecting public education in Texas.
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13 comments:
I agree with the court and the blogger. People living in a low property tax area aren't a suspect class. If they were labeled a suspect class, then every person in the US would fit into some kind of suspect class and there woud be no point in defining a suspect class. These students may not be receiving an education equal to those in a rich property tax area but that is not a federal constitution issue. This is a budgeting issue which belongs in the state courts.
This is an ongoing problem which affects everyone in the edcational system in the state of Texas. It specifically affects administrators when dealing with school budget issues.
Hunt74
kay82:
I agree with the blogger and the findings of the court. Based on the 10th Amendment, each state has a right to create its own education system. This also includes that the states are responsible for creating the financial system that goes with education. The court is correct in stating that poor families live everywhere, including the rich districts. People live wherever there are opportunities.
I think that a solution to this problem is going to be complex and will take time, especially the way our legislative system works. Administrators are going to have to be patient for a solution. They might have to learn to cut the budget dramatically and still educate the students to the best that they can.
I agree with the blogger about the court making the right decision on people living in a poor district and not receiving the same education as people in rich districts, not being a suspect class and that the finacing of public education should be left up to the state. This is plainly displayed in the Tenth Amendment, about all powers not delegated to the Federal Gov't, should be left to the states. However, this is a topic that may never be resolved by the state in finding an equitable system for financing education here in Texas. More than likely we are going to have to do the best we can. Mabye if we all moved to rich districts and flooded those schools, maybe the state would quit dragging their feet and find a solution....just a thought.
posted by ironman25
~Belle~
I agree with the blogger and the court. However, it isn't fair to have the quality of a child's education dependent of the wealth of the community.
One solution I propose would be to legalize gambling in Texas and have the revenue go to education. However, I'm sure the state would find some way to redirect these monies into some other fund.
sucram54:
I agree with the blogger and the court in this decision. The court upheld the decision that school finance was definitely not a suspect class. If the court did see wealth as a suspect class, then that would open the door for people to file suit for any reason. The bigger issue is that the federal courts upheld the 10th Amendment. This case blew up the topic of school finance, and the state is still trying to figure out the best course of action on this case.
This case definitely relates to all administrators in TX b/c this case is what eventually led to our current system of Robin Hood.
APA1906:
The court got this one right and I agree with them and the blogger. This is a tenth amendment issue and thus an issue relegated to the state courts. I am also glad that the courts did not see the poor as a suspect class. Could you imagine what that would entail? The Great Wall of China wouldn't be able to levy the flood of litigation that would ensue.
I also agree with you other guys, the school financing system is still a problem today and many of our children are getting the short end of the stick by no fault of their own. At my school, for many it means hopelessness, lack of ambition, and the cancer of apathy. So as an administrator, it is important that I balance that evil through good leadership and when I am put in a position to do so, I must allocate appropriate funds to appropriate areas.
SHOOTER
Just because a person lives in a low or high property tax are does not put them in a suspect class. I agree with the blogger, almost every school district has children that are in a lower property tax bracket. I also agree that it is the states responsibility to do as best as they can to come up with an effecient way for funding the schools.
Will this problem ever be solved? I think the state will keep working to try and find a solution but I also think anytime money is involved there will never be an easy solution.
I agree with the court and the blogger about not being able to file suit based on wealth being a suspect class. I also agree that the funding issue is for the state of Texas to handle and that it does not belong to the Federal government. School financing is a complex formula that I am not sure anyone understands. I do not know the answer, but until something better comes along, I am okay with Senate Bill 7. The financial crisis will not go away. It is only going to become worse. I am curious to see what will happen next. I think this case is relevant because I need to be aware of how the funds are being distributed on my campus. I need to make sure that each child is benefiting. I need to make sure the funds that I have at my discretion are available to enhance the education of those who do not participate in extracurricular activities.
Trout Fish
I aggree with the court and the blogger on this as well but I am interested in how the state intends to deal with the cost of education. I have read about countless school districts which are spending more than the state is giving them for cost of education. It seems the more money they divert in the direction of eduaction the farther behind they get. If their is not a reorganization of the managment structure in education soon this trend will not stop. The cost of operation is too high. Thats what needs to be addressed. Are there employees in your disrtict who have no impact on the learning and development of your students? Do you know people in the district who could go on a 6 week vacation and no one would miss them?Too many of the funds directed to the students never get to the students.
Rumrunner
I agree with the court and the blogger. The financial issue is not within the realm of the US Supreme Courts handling, this is a state issue. Is has been an issue for quite some time. A district can only provide with the funds that are coming in from property taxes. Various people live in various school districts. I can assure you that there are poor people attending highly incomed districts such as Aledo and Glen Rose. We can't just go in and raise a tax base because the district needs more money, but I do believe that Texas does need a school finance reform of some sort. I am waiting to see if Texas gets hit with a civil rights violation because all districts are not equal in their education due to funds. Some schools have a plethera of technolgoy available to students whereas other district may have little or none, etc., etc. Is this equal education??
doglover
The only thing I can think of to say to this one is:
S.W.E.A.T H.O.G.S.
For those who think poor people live in the same neighborhood as well to do folks, you need a new measuring stick. When your students climb in your window instead of using the door, then you will know what I mean.
RumRunner
Finance reform in the state of Texas has undergone many attempts at becoming more equitable. The courts found that although the system is not equitable, they found no instance that the inequality was intentional.
Belle,
We already have leagalized gambling in Texas. It's called the lotto. 35% of the revenue goes to education.of course 65% goes to the beauracratic machine that makes up the lotto. Besides, gambling is just another way to tax the poor in our state.
The court is right. I just wish there was a more equitable way.
I'll agree with everone else who agrees with the blogger and with the courts. Poor families are spread out across the state in many different kinds of neighbor hoods - lower class, middle class and upper class. So these students could not have been considered a suspect class. It is unfortunate that this hurts the students more than anyone else since school districts are not getting equal access the funding that they may need. So the students suffer and may not be able to receive the best education possible.
cdedad
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