Davis: Abbott Should Settle School Finance Lawsuit
Enlargegraphic by: Todd Wiseman / Laura Buckman / Bob Daemmrich
State Sen. Wendy Davis, the leading Democratic candidate for governor, called on her likely Republican opponent Monday to use his power as Texas attorney general to settle a massive school finance lawsuit instead of defending the troubled funding system in court.
“Attorney General Greg Abbott continues to defend the indefensible,” the Fort Worth Democrat said at an Austin news conference. “He’s wasting time and taxpayer money on a frivolous lawsuit that hurts Texas.”
Abbott's office is responsible for the state’s defense against the more than two-thirds of Texas school districts that are suing over what they say is an inadequate and unfair funding system in a case that will probably travel to the state Supreme Court.
While the case is ongoing, Abbott has said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on it. In a statement issued by his gubernatorial campaign after Davis called on him to settle, Abbott did not directly mention the lawsuit or whether he can or should settle it. But he said that if elected governor, he would deliver a first-rate public education system.
“While Sen. Davis remains fixated on the past, I'm focused on making education better for the future of our children,’’ Abbott said. “My goal is to make the Texas education system