(HOUSTON) — State Representative candidate Hubert Vo today said that leaders have failed Texas school children and local taxpayers who deserve a solution to the deepening public education-funding crisis.

"The Austin crowd is out of touch and legislative leaders don't share our priorities," Vo said. "Amid the criminal grand jury investigations and other distractions, they have lost sight of what school children, parents, teachers, businesses, and taxpayers want — better schools."

Vo, the Democratic candidate in Texas House District 149 in southwest Harris County, said voters should hold state leaders accountable for repeatedly failing to fix the public school funding crisis.

Vo said the current ratio of state-to-local funding for public schools is unfair and should be reversed. The state currently provides only 38 percent of the costs of schools, the lowest level since WWII, while local taxpayers are footing more than 60 percent of the bill, according to Texas Education Agency figures.

To make matters worse, Vo said, legislative leaders this year tried to impose new taxes under a plan that would have set minimum standards of "adequacy" for Texas schools.

"Our public schools should be excellent, not merely adequate," Vo said. "And the people of District 149 are looking for more than ‘adequacy' in their elected leaders."

Under the failed plan pushed by Vo's opponent and other legislative leaders,

• Alief ISD would have lost $102 million while local property taxes were hiked by 11 cents, raising the tax burden on local families and businesses to $1.57 per $100 of valuation — far beyond the legal limit.
  
  
• Houston ISD would have lost $67 million and seen a tax hike of 10 cents, to $1.55.
  
  
• Katy ISD would have lost $12 million and been hit with a 12 cent tax hike, bringing the local tax rate to a whopping $1.72 per $100 of valuation, according to the respected Equity Center

Vo called on lawmakers to get back to the business of real public school finance reform as soon as possible.