To help property-poor districts, states took a bigger role in paying for schools.

The court found that the system's heavy reliance on local property taxes had led to a widening disparity between educational systems that property-rich and property-poor districts can offer their students.

While acknowledging disparities, the Commissioner said representatives of urban school districts had not demonstrated that "children educated in property-poor districts are in any way disadvantaged."

Opposing Plano and the other wealthy-district plaintiffs were the property-poor districts whose spending has gone up from receipt of the excess payments of the rich districts.

Property tax revenue from property-wealthy school districts is and distributed those in property-poor districts, in an effort to equalize the financing of all districts throughout Texas.

They contend that the formula's heavy reliance on local property taxes has led to a widening disparity between what property-rich and property-poor districts can offer their students.

Perry's proposal was attacked by members from property-poor districts and was rejected.

He said, "It will provide property-poor districts with economic alternatives that are not now available to them."

The problem was a lack of money to make schools in property-poor districts competitive, so all you had to do was send them some.

Anticipating court challenges, many state legislatures had increased appropriations to property-poor districts.