The school finance lawsuit will go to trial beginning Oct. 22, state district Judge John Dietz decided, and lawyers in the case agreed to a schedule for exchanging briefs.
That agreement resulted in a status hearing being canceled Monday.
Dietz told all the parties last month that he wanted to start the case in October rather than in November, which likely would have spilled into the holiday schedule.
School districts want a Texas Supreme Court ruling and legislative action before the 2014-15 school year.
“We are glad that the judge gave us a prompt trial date and put us on an expedited schedule because it is important that the Texas Legislature have guidance from the court in time to act during the 2013 legislative session,” said Mark Trachtenberg, an attorney with Haynes and Boone, which represents 86 school districts.
Trachtenberg was one of the attorneys who represented the West Orange-Cove plantiffs in the last lawsuit. A successful outcome here will likely render meaningless any gimmicky spending cap pledges that certain unserious politicians may choose to make. Let’s hope so.
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