Plaintiffs wrap up case in school finance trial

AUSTIN  (AP) — The more than 600 Texas school districts suing the state over funding are wrapping up their case.

John Folks, former superintendent of Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, is the plaintiffs' last witness. He took the stand Wednesday.

Districts argue that $5.4 billion in cuts to schools approved by the state Legislature in 2011 have made the funding system inadequate and unfair, in violation of the Texas Constitution.

The Texas attorney general's office counters that funding is adequate and that districts don't always spend their resources wisely.

Folks said his former district cut nearly 250 teaching positions between 2010-2011 and last school year — even as enrollment increased by 2,500 students.

The state will call its first witness Thursday: Brooking Institution education expert Grover Whitehurst.