AUSTIN - In voting against Senate Bill 8 Tuesday evening, four border senators maintained their mantra that 'no bill is better than a bad bill.' Sens. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, and Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, voted against the school finance reform package authored by Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano.

The border region's other senator, Sen. Frank Madla, D-San Antonio, is hospitalized with vertigo.

The bill passed 19-10 and now goes to the House.

"Robin Hood is better than the bill we passed today," Shapleigh said. "SB 8 breaks a promise to the over 3,000 Texas teachers and education professionals for a real pay raise, does lasting damage to basic concepts of equity and permits private corporations to take over public schools."

Shapleigh said that after all the mandates contained in SB 8 are paid for, urban school districts would lose money. "If we truly value education, then we need to fund it," Shapleigh said.

Zaffirini said she had "lots of concerns" with SB 8 but was particularly disappointed there was no new money for Instructional Facilities Allotment. In 1999 and 2001, the state provided $150 million to help the poorest of poor school districts with classroom construction. In 2003, IFA funding was cut to $50 million, with promises made about restoring funding in 2005. In SB 8, there is no money for IFA but the legislation does include $50 million for New Instructional Facilities funding.

"What really galls me is that SB 8 not only does not have any funding for IFA, but has $50 million for NIFA, which benefits fast growth districts, many of which are property rich districts," Zaffirini said.

"And it has $6 million in facilities funding for charter schools. Why are we providing new facilities funding for charter schools when we don't have adequate funding for IFA?"

Zaffirini said SB 8 gave a "pittance of a pay raise" to teachers. "Call it what you will, it is not a pay raise. It is simply restoring the health benefit that we have provided for the teachers before," Zaffirini said. She said it was "absolutely incredible" that a $500 health insurance pass-through was being eliminated for school support staff.

"I had many, many constituents asking me to vote against SB 8. Not one asked me to support it. In voting no, I was voting my district. SB 8 will not help my district. It will not help South Texas. It is not a good bill," Zaffirini said.

Lucio said he, too, voted with his constituents. He said that over the past two and a half years he had sat through numerous town hall meetings and heard about inadequate funding and equity in the current school finance system.

"I opposed Senate Bill 8 because it was a meager attempt to address the true needs of our school children, needs that were upheld by a state district court in Texas and are still being litigated in the state supreme court," Lucio said. "Our school children deserve better. Our educators deserve better."

Lucio said he was "elated" to have garnered the necessary votes to include a provision in the bill requiring that schools start no earlier than the first day after Labor Day. "Yet, in spite of my deep commitment to the start date issue, I was compelled to vote against SB 8 because its provisions are financially damaging to the school districts in South Texas and do not provide property tax relief for our homeowners," Lucio said.

Shapiro said SB 8 offered a pay raise for teachers, textbook payments, property tax relief for taxpayers and meaningful education reforms to benefit all students.

"The Senate is putting $2.8 billion into education, updating antiquated formulas, increasing teacher salaries, making the system more transparent and accountable, and creating a seamless system of education from pre-kindergarten through college," Shapiro said.

"As long as there is still daylight in this special session, I'll be fighting for overall reform in addition to textbook funding and teacher pay."