State lawmakers couldn't agree on a school finance reform bill by the time the legislative session ended this week.
Now, about 175 school districts in the state are missing out on millions of dollars they were anticipating next year.
Mesquite ISD will not see $10 million it was expecting. That means lower raises for teachers.
In Prosper, a $10 million budget cut means less money spent on students.
Plano ISD could have benefited by $9.8 million.
Frisco ISD lost $24 million. The district asked voters to approve 13-cent tax rate hike last year. The measure didn't pass, so a district spokesperson says the district began a "priorities-based budget process."
And in the small Lovejoy ISD, a $6 million loss has administrators getting creative to make up the difference.
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"I've been in the school business almost 40 years now, and I am the most frustrated that I have ever been," said Lovejoy ISD superintendent Ted Moore.
Moore says the district relies on ASATR funding, or Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction. The funding was put in place in 2006 to offset a reduction in property taxes.
The funding was set to expire in September.
Moore says a hardship grant included in House Bill 21, a school finance reform bill, would have made up for the lost money.
Because lawmakers in Austin failed to take action on HB 21, the money the district was expecting will be gone.
"We are scrambling now," Moore said.
Moore says the district will have to dip into savings to make up the difference.
The district is also considering charging students for extracurricular activities and to ride the bus.
"Not happy about that," said Uyen Taylor.
Taylor is a mother with three children in the district who ride the bus and play five sports.
"If they're going to start charging for that and depending on how much it is, and if it's per sport, it's going to affect us," she said.
Lawmakers in Austin couldn't agree on a component of the school finance reform bill – a voucher that would have caused the flow of state dollars to private schools.
Now, Lovejoy and nearly 200 school districts are facing an unexpected predicament: finding a way to make due with less.
"Our children are suffering the consequences," Moore said.
The district doesn't have much time at all to figure things out. By law, they have to pass a budget by June 30.
This could be resolved if Gov. Greg Abbott calls for a special session and the bill is taken up again.
So far, no announcement has been made whether that will happen.
