LRL Home - Collections - School finance litigation archive
In 2011 and early 2012, a group of school districts, businesses, parents, and concerned individuals filed suit in Travis County District Court against the State of Texas over the constitutionality of the state school finance system. After a ruling by the district court in 2014, the case was appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, which on May 13, 2016, ruled that the school finance system in Texas is within constitutional limits.
The 2011 case was preceded by several major school finance lawsuits in Texas. This page details the history of school finance litigation in Texas and provides access to key court documents. In addition, it includes a range of helpful resources on the subject of school finance.
Timeline adapted with permission from An Introduction to School Finance in Texas, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA), pg. 27, by Sheryl Pace.
| Date | Case number | Opinion | Court | Citation | Legislative response | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez (1973) Top | ||||||
| 12/23/1971, as clarified 1/26/1972 | Civ. A. No. 68-175-SA | Demetrio P. Rodriguez v. San Antonio ISD; Opinion District court ruled that the school finance system violates equal protection guarantees of the U.S. Constitution. |
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas | 337 F. Supp. 280 (W. Dist. Tex. 1971) | ||
| 3/21/1973 | No. 71-1332 | San Antonio ISD v. Demetrio P. Rodriguez; Opinion U.S. Supreme Court reversed decision of the lower court, finding the state system bore rational relationship to furthering state goals of providing minimum education while encouraging local control. [Read more] |
U.S. Supreme Court | 411 U.S. 1, 93 S. Ct. 1278 (1973) | (1975-1977) Increased teacher salary schedule and increased the number of instructional days to 175. HB 72, 68th 2nd C.S. (1984) |
|
| Edgewood I (1989) Top | ||||||
| 4/29/1987 | No. 362,516 | Edgewood ISD v. William Kirby; Statement and findings regarding the fundamental right of our citizens to a state sponsored free public education | Travis County 250th District Court, Judge Harley Clark | |||
| 6/1/1987 | No. 362,516 | Edgewood ISD v. William Kirby; Final judgment (6/1/87); Findings of fact and conclusions of law (8/27/87) | Travis County 250th District Court, Judge Harley Clark | |||
| 12/14/1988 | No. 03-87-190-CV | William Kirby et al. vs. Edgewood ISD, et al.; Opinion, dissent, and order | Texas Third Court of Appeals, Austin | 761 S.W.2d 859 (1988) | ||
| 10/2/1989 | No. C-8353 | Edgewood ISD v. William Kirby; Opinion School finance system found unconstitutional. [opinion summary] |
Texas Supreme Court | 777 S.W.2d 391 (Tex. 1989) | SB 1, 71st 6th C.S. (1990) | |
| Edgewood II & IIa (1991) Top | ||||||
| 9/24/1990 | No. 362,516 | Edgewood ISD v. William Kirby; Final judgment and opinion | Travis County 250th District Court, Judge F. Scott McCown | |||
| 1/22/1991 | No. D-0378 | Edgewood ISD v. William Kirby; Opinion School finance system found unconstitutional. [opinion summary] |
Texas Supreme Court | 804 S.W.2d 491 (Tex. 1991) | SB 351, 72nd R.S. (1991) | |
| 2/25/1991 | Edgewood IIa, Advisory opinion In response to a motion for rehearing, the Supreme Court issued an "advisory opinion." [advisory opinion summary] |
Texas Supreme Court | ||||
| Edgewood III (1992) Top | ||||||
| 8/27/1991 | No. 362,516-A | Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD v. Edgewood ISD | Travis County 250th District Court | |||
| 1/30/1992 | No. D-1469 | Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD et al. v. Edgewood ISD et al.; Judgment and opinion, concurring and dissenting opinions School finance system found unconstitutional. [opinion summary] |
Texas Supreme Court | 826 S.W.2d 489 (Tex. 1992) | SJR 7, 73rd R.S., Prop 1 (Defeated May 1, 1993) SB 7, 73rd R.S. (1993) |
|
| Edgewood IV (1995) Top | ||||||
| 1/26/1994 | No. 362,516-B | Edgewood ISD v. Lionel R. Meno | Travis County 250th District Court | |||
| 1/30/1995 | No. 94-0152 | Edgewood ISD v. Lionel R. Meno; Opinion School finance system found constitutional. [opinion summary] |
Texas Supreme Court | 917 S.W.2d 717 (Tex. 1995) | School finance system found constitutional, therefore, no legislation followed. | |
| West Orange-Cove (WOC) I & II Top | ||||||
| 4/9/2001 | No. D-1-GV-01-000528 | West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD v. Shirley Neeley Four wealthy school districts filed suit, dismissed by district and appeals courts; then in 2003, Texas Supreme Court remanded case back to the district court for trial. |
Travis County 250th District Court | |||
| 4/11/2002 | No. 03-01-00491-CV | West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD et al. v. Felipe Alanis et al.; Opinion | Texas Court of Appeals for the Third District at Austin | 78 S.W.3d 529 | ||
| 5/29/2003 | No. 02-0427 | West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD v. Felipe Alanis; Opinion (WOC I) | Texas Supreme Court | 107 S.W.3d 558 | ||
| 11/30/2004 | No. D-1-GV-01-000528 | West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD v. Shirley Neeley; Final judgment [opinion summary] |
Travis County 250th District Court, Judge John Dietz | |||
| 11/22/2005 | No. 04-1144 | Shirley Neeley v. West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD; Opinion and dissent (WOC II) School finance system found unconstitutional. [opinion summary] |
Texas Supreme Court | 176 S.W.3d 746 (Tex. 2005) | HB 1, 79th 3rd C.S. (2006) Note: May 2006. Court case was dissolved by agreement in response to passage of HB 1. |
|
| 6/21/2007 | No. 03-06-00460-CV; trial court: Travis County 250th District Court, No. D-1-GV-01-000528 | Shirley Neeley v. West Orange-Cove Consolidated ISD; Opinion (related- attorneys' fees) | Texas Third Court of Appeals, Austin | 228 S.W.3d 864 (Tex. 2007) | ||
| 2011 - present Top | ||||||
| 8/28/2014 | No. D-1-GN-11-003130 | Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition et al. v. Michael Williams; Final judgment [opinion summary] |
Travis County 200th District Court, Judge John Dietz | |||
| 5/13/2016 | No. 14-0776 | Mike Morath v. Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition et al.; Opinion and concurring opinions School finance system found constitutional. [opinion summary] |
Texas Supreme Court | |||
Michael Williams, Commissioner of Education, et al. v. the Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition, et al.; Calhoun County ISD, et al.; Edgewood ISD, et al.; Fort Bend ISD, et al.; Texas Charter School association, et al.; and Joyce Coleman, et al.
Court decision: School finance system found constitutional. Read a summary of the opinion.
Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition et al., Calhoun County ISD et al., Edgewood ISD et al., and Fort Bend ISD et al. (plaintiffs) and Joyce Coleman et al. (intervenors) v. Michael Williams, Commissioner of Education, et al.
Source: Travis County District Clerk
Shirley Neeley, et al. v. West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District, et al.
Shirley Neeley, et al. v. West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District, et al.
Court decision: School finance system found unconstitutional. Read a summary of the opinion.
West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District v. Shirley Neeley
West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District v. Felipe Alanis
West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District, et al. v. Felipe Alanis, et al.
West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District v. Shirley Neeley
Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. Lionel R. Meno, et al.
Collection location: Texas Supreme Court case files and indexes, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Court decision: School finance system found constitutional. Read a summary of the opinion.
Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. Lionel R. Meno
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, et al. v. Edgewood Independent School District, et al.
Collection location: Texas Supreme Court case files and indexes, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Court decision: School finance system found unconstitutional. Read a summary of the opinion.
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, et al. v. Edgewood Independent School District, et al.
Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. William Kirby, et al.
Collection location: Texas Supreme Court case files and indexes, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Court decision (Edgewood II): School finance system found unconstitutional. Read a summary of the opinion.
Court decision (Edgewood IIa, Advisory opinion): In response to a motion for rehearing, the Supreme Court issues an "advisory opinion." Read a summary of the advisory opinion.
Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. William Kirby
Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. William Kirby, et al.
Collection location: Texas Supreme Court case files and indexes, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Court decision: School finance system found unconstitutional. Read a summary of the opinion.
William Kirby, et al. vs. Edgewood Independent School District, et al.
Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. William Kirby, et al.
Note: The Travis County District Clerk has included this case in its Historical Records Project.
The trial transcripts linked below are part of the collection at the Tarlton Law Library.
San Antonio ISD, et al. v. Demetrio P. Rodriguez, et al.
The Supreme Court case file is located at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C.
Court decision (3/21/1973): U.S. Supreme Court reversed decision of the lower court, finding the state system bore rational relationship to furthering state goals of providing minimum education while encouraging local control. [Read more]
Demetrio P. Rodriguez, et al. v. San Antonio ISD, et al.
Docket sheet for this case obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Ft. Worth, TX.
Subjects: School Finance, Educational Adequacy, Educational Equity, Robin Hood