The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the San Antonio Area Foundation and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, hosted a meeting on June 7, to discuss public school finance. Drawing more than 250 attendees representing a wide cross-section of business, education, government, and non-profits communities the two-hour program was packed with compelling speakers about the topic. Among the speakers were Jennifer Cantu, Education and Workforce Development chair, and Shaun Kennedy, Chairman of the Chamber board.
Cantu spoke on a panel discussion about the business community needing to see public school finance as a workforce issue. Bringing to light the high need for strong talent pipelines for every industry sector, she challenged the audience to get involved, engage with their elected officials, and utilize Chambers of Commerce to make a case for the state to take on school finance next legislative session.
Kennedy delivered a call to action that included talking to others about the issue and increasing understanding of what is at stake. He charged the audience to take what they learned and be active as a community of people addressing a common cause.
The meeting, part of a series of regional forums arranged by the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC), aimed to raise awareness in the business community about the history, tax complexities, and long-term impacts on the future workforce and economy if the upcoming legislative session does not take meaningful action on public school finance reform.
Former House Public Education Committee Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock set the stage for the discussion by giving a comprehensive overview of the history of school finance in Texas. Acknowledging that both rural and urban school districts have seen a steady decline in funding from the state and an increase of responsibility onto local property taxpayers, Aycock concluded this scenario would have to eventually lead to a real discussion about revenue streams.
Attorney and school finance expert, J. David Thompson, gave an insightful and relatable explanation of the current inner-workings of state and local school funding. The concluding panel discussion consisted of Cantu and Thompson along with Kate Rogers, President of the Holdsworth Center; Celina Moreno, Counsel at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Dr. Brian Woods, Superintendent of Northside Independent School District. Topics ranged from professionalizing the teaching field and providing solid professional mobility within the field to the need to explore other revenue sources to fund education to the need for the business community to “flex its muscles” in the next legislative session.
