Texas is in the middle of a court battle over how to fund public schools. It's a cycle that happens about once a decade. The latest case is before the Texas Supreme Court after a judge ruled the current school finance system unconstitutional. Decades of costly court fights and political battles have created a system that many contend fails to provide an adequate education for the state’s neediest students. Many children are from low-income families and are still learning English — two fast-growing groups in Texas. This series explores one of the fundamental questions in the decades-long debate: Is school funding in Texas fair? Or is it falling short?

Fair or Falling Short
A Retired Judge Gives Texas Teachers A History Lesson In Funding Education
Posted on · This series explores one of the fundamental questions in the decades-long debate: Is school funding in Texas fair? Or is it falling short? Judge John Dietz shares his opinion, which may surprise you.

Fair or Falling Short
Database: Explore Texas School Funding by District
Posted on · Find out how much funding your school district or charter school receives in this interactive map.

Fair or Falling Short
Learn How Texas Funds Public Schools In 7 Easy Steps
Posted on · Scroll down to become an expert yourself.

Fair or Falling Short
How Parents Search for Opportunities for Their Children, Find Different Results
Posted on · One mom lives 40 miles away from her son so that he can access a better public school education. Another mom testified in state court how her children experienced two very different districts: one rich and another poor.

Fair or Falling Short
Why One Superintendent’s Budget Falls Short $1,300 Per Student
Posted on · Alief Superintendent HD Chambers says the state funding system doesn't cover the actual cost of educating students who need more support.

Fair or Falling Short
With Current Education System, Texas On Course To Be Poorer, Less Competitive In 2050
Posted on · The state's former demographer Steve Murdock said education funding can be a drag on the state's future economy, pulling down household income, consumer spending and state revenue.

Fair or Falling Short
How Texas Might Solve its School Finance Problems
Posted on · One top lawmaker is mounting a reform effort in Austin. But some analysts say that it could widen the gap between the richest and poorest districts.

Fair or Falling Short
New Lessons, Old Pattern With Failed Attempt To Improve Texas School Funding
Posted on · The idea of reform generally involves improving something. But the latest effort to reform Texas public school funding would not have helped some districts very much and may be better off dead, according to one finance expert.

Fair or Falling Short
How A Dad Helped Start The Fight For Better Public School Funding In Texas
Posted on · Texas has a long history of lawsuits over public school funding, with the latest saga reaching the Texas Supreme Court. But one of the earliest chapters starts with one family on the west side of San Antonio. In part one of our series, we explore how the legal fight started by Demetrio Rodriguez continues today.
Support for this series was provided by “The Equity Reporting Project: Restoring the Promise of Education,” which was developed by Renaissance Journalism with funding from the Ford Foundation.