Advocacy shapes our daily decisions and actions, whether supporting loved ones, promoting fairness at work, or driving change in our communities. In education, it’s no different. The “funding crisis” in Texas public schools, including Goose Creek CISD, highlights the need for collective action and determination. Alarmingly, some legislators have proposed restricting our right to advocate, making unity more crucial than ever.

School funding issues in Texas are not debatable, with the state ranking among the lowest in educational investment. Unlike most states, Texas funds schools based on student attendance while requiring education for all enrolled students, creating a deficit model that reduces funding by about 5% before the school year begins. Texas is one of only eight states using this approach, choosing to keep the withheld funds in its savings.

Over 90% of Texas public schools are underfunded, with 60% chronically so, reflecting decades of neglect. The legislature’s failure to increase basic allotment funding, tied to the governor’s push for a voucher system, has created unprecedented financial strain. Since 2019, inflation has risen over 22%, driving up costs for schools already stretched thin. One recent survey indicated that school districts across the state that have adopted a deficit budget rose from almost half previously to nearly 80% just within the last year or so. That shortfall is for all school districts across the entire state, symptomatic of a breakdown in our lawmakers' obligation to adequately fund public schools.

How has this affected Goose Creek CISD? In the past two years, to address a deficit budget, the board of trustees directed the administration to find solutions that protect our students and staff and maintain the quality of educational program offerings. Measures included reducing administrative positions and scaling back support services while limiting the impact on students. Staffing reductions were achieved through attrition, leaving some positions unfilled, which led to larger class sizes in some cases. The board also avoided consolidating underutilized campuses by using funds from the district’s savings account. However, they acknowledged this approach is not sustainable long-term due to the slow replenishment of those funds.

This year, the board has had to reassess campus efficiency due to demographic shifts that left some campuses underutilized and some well over capacity. While rezoning may help, it cannot fully address the financial strain of operating under-capacity campuses. Consequently, the board approved the administration’s recommendation to consolidate and repurpose specific campuses. We recognize that change is difficult, but inaction, amid insufficient legislative support to address inflation, has already harmed public education statewide.

We will continue to evaluate our school system for efficiencies every year. However, as educators, we must also be mindful of the lack of support that has been overtly demonstrated by our elected officials in Austin. A story cannot be spun to explain why our schools have not been adequately funded. We must become our own self-advocates to ensure a high-quality education for all, which we know to be the great equalizer.

I’m not sure what advocacy may look like for you, whether a trip to our capital in Austin, a letter or phone call to your congressmen, or maybe joining a local advocacy group. Whatever it is, I believe it must begin with action. It is crucial to actively confront the diminishment of local control rather than standing passively by.

Please consider how your voice may best be heard in support of our local public school system across our great state. Despite any push for private sector options, public schools still educate nearly 90% of all Americans. The support of any alternative measure designed to educate a small fraction of the student population should be secondary to ensuring that all Texas children are provided adequate educational funding first!

Thank you for supporting Goose Creek CISD. Please know that we want to hear from you. Consider joining one of our future steering committees, which will undoubtedly provide input and direction that will help shape and serve as a catalyst for our future success.

Dr. Randal O’Brien

Superintendent of Schools