The $15,000 School Funding Shell Game: How Texas Politicians Hide the Truth in Plain Sight

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." – Mark Twain

If you've been on social media lately, you might have seen Texas Governor Greg Abbott triumphantly announcing that school funding in Texas is at an "ALL-TIME HIGH!" The posts feature bold graphics, exclamation points, and the kind of design aesthetic that screams "I'm telling you something VERY IMPORTANT and DEFINITELY TRUE!"

The message is clear and simple: Texas public schools receive over $15,000 per student – an all-time high – and you would be a fool to believe otherwise.

Well, call me a fool, because when you look at the numbers yourself, you see a different story. And it turns out, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) – you know, the actual state agency responsible for public education – has some pretty interesting data that tells a more nuanced story than Governor Abbott's social media graphics.

The $15,000 Per Student Figure: Technically True, Practically Misleading

Let's start with the headline claim: Texas spends over $15,000 per student on public education. Is this true? According to the TEA's own report on Public Education State Funding Transparency, yes, it is. In fiscal year 2023, total annual funding per student was $15,503.

Side note: The above graphic is from the Texas Education Agency's Report on Public Education State Funding Transparency. Linked in case you'd like to see the full report.

So case closed, right? Well, not exactly. Because as any good statistician or political operative knows, a single number without context is like a fish without water – technically still a fish, but missing something critical for the full picture.

Follow the Money: Where That $15,000 Actually Comes From

Remember when your parents told you money doesn't grow on trees? Well, in Texas, it apparently grows from three distinct sources: federal funding, local funding (primarily property taxes), and state funding. And the distribution of these sources tells the real story.

According to the TEA's breakdown, that $15,503 per student in FY 2023 breaks down as:

• Federal Funding: $2,688 per student

• Local Funding (I&S): $1,850 per student

• Local Funding (M&O): $5,943 per student

• Recapture Revenue: $825 per student

• State Funding: $4,196 per student

  
  

That's right – the state's actual contribution is only about 27% of the total. And here's the kicker: that percentage represents the lowest state contribution since 2014 (and, honestly, before that...but for simplicity, let's just go with what's documented in this graphic).

The Shell Game: Who's Really Footing the Bill?

While total funding has indeed increased since 2014 (by about 46%), the state's portion has actually decreased by approximately 1% in raw dollars. Meanwhile, local funding has increased by 47%, and federal funding has more than doubled with a 134% increase.

In simpler terms: local property taxpayers and the federal government are carrying an increasingly larger share of the education funding burden, while the state contributes less and less proportionally.

And recapture? That's just local money being redistributed to other districts – not state money at all. It's like if your neighbor took credit for buying you dinner when they actually just took money from your other neighbor and handed it to you.

Inflation: The Uninvited Guest at the Funding Party

There's also the little matter of inflation. When adjusted for inflation, that impressive-sounding 46% increase in total funding since 2014 shrinks to about 15%. That's a far cry from the victory lap messaging.

But even that 15% inflation-adjusted increase doesn't tell the whole story. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a blunt instrument that doesn't capture the specific cost pressures facing public schools. Let's break down what's happened since 2014:

• Teacher salaries needed to increase just to remain competitive in a tightening labor market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nationwide teacher shortage has driven up compensation costs by more than 20% since 2014.

• Healthcare benefits for school employees have risen at approximately double the rate of general inflation, with district contributions increasing by roughly 25-30% over this period.

• Technology costs have exploded as schools moved to 1:1 device programs, expanded to larger and more complex networks, and invested in cybersecurity. Many districts now spend 3-4 times what they did in 2014 on technology infrastructure.

• Security enhancements following tragic school shootings have necessitated investments in physical security upgrades, from reinforced entrances to surveillance systems to dedicated security personnel.

• Energy costs for heating, cooling, and powering increasingly technology-dependent campuses have outpaced inflation, particularly in Texas where extreme weather events strain HVAC systems.

• Special education services have seen costs rise at nearly triple the rate of inflation as districts work to provide legally mandated services to a growing population of identified students.

  
  

When you factor in these education-specific cost pressures, that 15% "real" increase is actually a functional decrease in purchasing power for many districts. It's like getting a 15% raise over nine years while your rent went up 25%, your healthcare costs increased 30%, and you suddenly need to buy a new computer every three years instead of every six.

Connecting the Dots

So what's the real story here? Yes, Texas schools are receiving more dollars per student than ever before – but that's largely because local communities and the federal government are picking up the slack as the state's proportional contribution diminishes.

It's a bit like if you hosted a potluck dinner where you used to provide the main course, but over time you started bringing just chips and salsa while your guests brought increasingly elaborate dishes – and then you posted on Instagram about how your dinner parties are more lavish than ever.

The Bottom Line

Governor Abbott isn't wrong that funding per student is at an all-time high. What his social media posts leave out is that the state's share of that funding has shrunk significantly, while the burden on local property taxpayers has grown.

So the next time you see a triumphant post about record education funding, remember to ask: who's actually writing the check?

Because in Texas, it isn’t Texas footing the bill.

It’s Texans. 

And perhaps that's the most important statistic of all.