DALLAS STATE SENATORS IN THE HOT SPOT

The school finance bill passed by the House on Tuesday set a 35 percent limit on local taxes that can be recaptured by the state (Highland Park currently sends 70 percent of its tax money out of district.) The Senate today passed a version which, once again, does not include this provision. John Carona represents HP, Dallas, and parts of Richardson, all of which are hit hard by recapture. Florence Shapiro–who is the school finance doyen of the Senate–represents Plano, which is in a fix just as bad as HP. When the bill goes to conference, these two Dallas-area senators could make all the difference. Shapiro’s phone number is 512-463-0108. Carona’s is 512-463-0116. They’ve both weasled before, and they’re weasling again. Meanwhile, their constituents are getting gouged.