What is the history of public education in Texas?
• Under the Constitution of 1876, the Permanent School Food Fund was established with guidelines on funding for public education. • Public education remained a local matter, left to local school districts, until the 1940s, when the state legislature attempted to address some of the problems associated with funding and facilities. • In 1949, the Gilmer-Aiken Laws created the State Board of Education to oversee education policy in the state. • The 1950s saw the elimination of segregation pursuant to the Brown v. Board of Education decision. De facto segregation remained a problem, however, especially in urban areas with large minority populations. II. What are the most important issues that have shaped education policy in Texas over the past fifty years? Have these issues been resolved? • The inequities of funding remain a serious concern for policymakers in Texas. • In Edgewood ISD v. Kirby, the Texas Supreme Court found that the inequities in school funding violated the equal protectio
