Hinojosa Holds Press Conference on Dallas ISD Budget Deficit

Hinojosa’s press conference follows the launch of Team Texas Public Schools, a new bipartisan organizing program designed to engage communities to fight to save Texas public schools.

Dallas, TX – Democratic nominee for Texas Governor Gina Hinojosa held a press conference this morning with Rep. John Bryant to discuss how Greg Abbott’s failed leadership has left parents, students, and teachers suffering from Dallas ISD budget shortfalls.

“Greg Abbott’s Texas Education Agency has defied the will of the Legislature and is unilaterally withholding more than $70 million from Dallas ISD,” Hinojosa said. “This kind of funny math is happening across the state as a direct result of Greg Abbott’s voucher scam. Abbott needs to find an extra $2 billion to continue to pay for his voucher scam in the next biennium. Property taxes have gone up 75% under Greg Abbott, but our public schools are in crisis. We pay more and get less, all to satisfy Greg Abbott’s largest donor: an out-of-state billionaire with a financial interest in vouchers who donated $12 million to Abbott’s campaign. That is an example of “The Greg Abbott Corruption Tax” we all pay.”

“We’re going to be entering this year with a $104 million deficit here in Dallas, and that is not atypical,” said Rep. John Bryant. “The same is happening in Austin, El Paso – they’re preparing to declare a state of emergency and lay off teachers because they don’t have the money to operate.”

“The bottom line is how well we’re preparing our students for the future,” said Rep. John Bryant. “Only 34% of our high school students in Texas are college-ready. That is the result of a 12-year campaign of neglecting public education and instead putting a billion dollars into a private school voucher program that only helps mostly people who are already in private school and not those in need of a subsidy.”

Hinojosa added, “Texas public schools are our inheritance. They are our birthright. They are enshrined in our Texas Constitution as being essential for the preservation of our liberties. They are in crisis, and we have an opportunity this year, in this election, to be the change to save our Texas public schools.”

Dallas ISD just adopted a $104 million deficit budget for 2026-2027—a gap which could be entirely covered by the state funding the district was promised. Dallas ISD expects to send approximately $73 million back to the State of Texas through recapture during the 2026-27 budget year. That’s up from roughly $60 million the prior year. It is predicted to increase to $100 million in the 2027-28 school year.

The district has been raising alarms about lack of funding already. Just this year, the district said it eliminated more than 250 central office positions. They have been working to make every budget they could and now Abbott is still leaving them with a 100 million dollar short fall. They were counting on this money.

Hinojosa’s press conference follows a series of roundtable discussions and a town hall with parents, teachers, and administrators in McKinney, Richardson, Grapevine-Colleyville, Arlington, Oak Cliff, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio as part of the Team Texas Schools Launch. Learn more about Team Texas Public Schools HERE.

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