By A new study by Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research reports that roughly 1 in 5 school districts in Texas are severely underfunded, which research shows leads to lower student achievement ratings.
Houston ISD is among area school districts including Aldine, Alief, Pasadena, Spring Branch and Spring ISDs deemed to be severely underfunded, according to the report.
The study shows Texas has 171 school districts with funding gaps exceeding 40 percent as “severely underfunded” based on estimates provided by the School Finance Indicators Database.
With the “Renew HISD” bond proposal, the district plans to improve campuses by repairing and replacing older buildings and HVAC and plumbing infrastructure.
According to the Kinder Institute analysis, researchers found that a district is much less likely to earn an A or B student achievement rating when funding gaps exceed 40 percent—and the opposite is true—properly funded schools are far more likely to have higher academic ratings.
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