?We ought to talk about it,? Duncan told members of the special House-Senate committee on school finance during a hearing on Monday. Duncan, who has touted the idea in the past, suggested that the Legislature replace local property taxes with a statewide system that would tax property at $1 per $100 of valuation to pay for maintenance and operation of Texas schools. Under the plan, school districts could tax at up to 17 cents more for local programs, but that revenue would be subject to ?Robin Hood? sharing by higher-wealth districts under the school finance law. He also proposed limiting annual increases in property appraisals to no more than 5 percent.
?We want to change the point of collection, not create a new tax or raises taxes,? the Lubbock senator said. ?This is a way to distribute funding for public education in a rational, efficient way.? He said the current system of different tax rates and different property wealth among the state?s more than 1,000 school districts creates too much volatility in funding schools and leaves a system that is inequitable no matter what lawmakers do. Those inequities spurred hundreds of school districts to sue the state in the latest round of litigation, although districts also contend the Legislature has failed to adequately fund education and pay for a host of new requirements that has been imposed on schools in recent years.
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