In an effort to change the way some 450 school are funded across Texas, Sen. Robert Nichols and Rep. Trent Ashby have jointly filed legislation to correct the formulas that fund certain small schools at a lower level.

In a joint press release Monday, Nichols said,” It is unfair that a small school in penalized and funded differently based on the size of the area they serve. Creating an equal multiplier in the formula across the board will provide many schools with additional funding, which will go a long way in helping to improve the education of our students.”

Currently, if a school has an average daily attendance of 1,600 and covers less than 300 square miles, they receive a smaller portion of state funds than a district with the same attendance which covers more than 300 square miles.

Senate Bill 324 and House Bill 645 will alleviate this practice and create an equal funding measure across the board for all schools in Texas.

The original bill was passed to encourage school districts to consolidate.

This legislation would allow communities the option of maintain local governance of their school board without having to work around punitive formula.