New Senate school finance plan looks like old one

DallasNews.com | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Legislature: "Senate leaders filed a new school finance bill Friday that is very similar to legislation approved by the Senate last month – though it still falls far short of the additional funding that school districts say they need to stay above water.

Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, offered the proposal as Senate leaders try to revive efforts to overhaul the state's school funding system and lower school property taxes by raising a handful of state taxes.

House members rejected school finance and tax swap bills by substantial margins this week, and senators have remained deadlocked on their school finance proposal since the current special session began a little more than a week ago.

'We are trying to craft a bill that gets the most support from the education community and the Senate,' Ms. Shapiro said."