REP. SCHUBERT HOLDS EDUCATION SUMMIT IN FAYETTEVILLE

  

District 13 State Representative Leighton Schubert (R-HD13) recently hosted an education summit at Fayetteville I.S.D. with superintendents from around House District 13.

There were several topics discussed at the summit, including the recent Texas Supreme Court ruling upholding the state's funding system as constitutional and the pending expiration of the "hold harmless" provision known as Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction (ASATR) in September 2017.

Schubert says that he is concerned that some schools in District 13 will be taking a big hit when ASATR expires next year. He said that “with the recent decline in energy prices, money is going to be tight next session, but regardless of what the Supreme Court said, we need to make sure our schools are being treated fairly across the state.” Schubert went on to say that he is looking forward to considering all of the options, such as increasing the 'basic allotment', or the base amount of money the state gives to each district per student.

Another topic of discussion was the state's testing and accountability system, which has faced increased scrutiny over the last several months. Schubert says that accountability in the school system is essential, but it must be an accurate evaluation of a student’s readiness. He acknowledged that it is the state’s responsibility to ensure the public education system is adequately training the next generation of Texans, but he is also an advocate of local control.