COVID-19 upended Texas schools’ finances. Now they’re calling for a new funding system.

Financial strains

Signs advertise an informational meeting about the potential closure of Parmer Lane Elementary School in Pflugerville.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

First: A flyer in Spanish and English advertises an informational meeting about the potential closure of Parmer Lane Elementary School. Last: In their backyard in Pflugerville, Esmeralda Alvarado ruffles the hair of her son Emilio, who is in second grade at Palmer Elementary School.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy for The Texas Tribune

In her garage in Pflugerville, Alvarado shows drawings her daughter made when she was 7 of birds playing basketball. Alvarado and her family have lived in the same house for 18 years, and part of the reason she chose the home was its proximity to Parmer Lane Elementary.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune

A new fight for a new formula

Alvarado walks home with Emilio from Parmer Lane Elementary School on Jan. 9, 2023. “We’re paying for our schools, and now I won’t have my own school close to my house,” she said of the possibility that the district might shut down the nearby school.

Credit:
Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune