Beto's education spending problem

 Washington Examiner:

School choice is becoming a bigger issue in Texas's gubernatorial race. After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he intends to support educational freedom during the state’s 2023 legislative session, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke claimed, “Abbott is for defunding our public schools.”

O’Rourke has repeated this claim in radio and newspaper ads targeting rural Texas areas. But Texas's K-12 education spending data do not support O’Rourke’s allegation. Between 2002 and 2020, inflation-adjusted education spending in Texas increased by 16%, going from $11,473 per student to $13,346 per student.

THE DEMOCRATS' UNDEMOCRATIC RHETORIC ABOUT 'SAVING DEMOCRACY'

Much of this funding increase went to staffing costs, with spending on employee benefits — a Census Bureau data category that includes teacher pensions and healthcare expenses — rising by 24% per student . Capital expenditures, such as building construction and equipment, have shot up by nearly 18% per student since 2002.

While it’s true that Texas trails the national spending average by $2,716 per student , that is partly because Texas is a relatively low-cost-of-living state. Legal rulings have also prompted policies restricting what single school districts can raise locally for their own operating costs, such as salaries and classroom supplies.

These policies mean wealthy school districts can’t drive up the statewide spending average as easily as they do in other states, resulting in a more equitable funding system that complies with the state’s constitution. For example, Austin, where property values are among the highest in the state, was required to send over $762 million of its local education-focused property tax money to other school districts across the state last year.

O’Rourke’s defunding claims also ignore important school finance legislation Abbott signed into law in 2019 with overwhelming bipartisan support. House Bill 3 made critical changes to the state’s funding formula and added $6.5 billion in new education spending, including bumps to the minimum teacher salary schedule and other assurances that increase teacher compensation.
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There is more.

I do not see any evidence to support O'rourke's position on education spending.  I am pretty sure that education taxes are still being collected. 

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