Texas school districts sent nearly $3 billion back to the state in 2025 through the recapture program, but the money is not being redistributed to poorer districts as commonly believed, according to Missy Bender, executive director of the Texas School Coalition. In the latest episode of The Building Texas Show, Bender dismantles what she calls one of the state’s most persistent policy myths: that recapture is a Robin Hood system that takes from property-rich districts to help property-poor ones.
“So what does recapture do? It generates state savings,” Bender told host Justin McKenzie. “That’s why I don’t call it Robin Hood anymore. It’s not the property wealthy helping the property poor, like many think, but it’s only helping the state.” The episode, published July 13, 2026, comes as about 20% of all Texas districts—including both urban and rural payers—now pay recapture, and as legislators head into election season.
The discussion breaks down the mechanics of the post-House Bill 3 formula, explaining how property valuation divided by average daily attendance triggers the recapture threshold. Bender notes that declining enrollment combined with rising property valuations creates a “double whammy” for districts like Plano ISD. In 2025, top payers included Austin ISD at $770 million and West Texas oil district Pecos-Barstow-Toyah at $198 million.
Bender, a former Plano school board member turned statewide advocate, also highlights a lesser-known funding issue: a student leaving for a doctor’s appointment can cost a district a full day of state funding, even when the absence is excused. She is working on legislation to stop penalizing districts for excused partial-day absences. “96% attendance, once religious and medical absences are counted, should be treated as the practical ceiling,” she argues.
The deeper policy conversation traces the recapture money’s path into the Foundation School Program (FSP) and out again as reduced state contributions. Bender says those funds can then be redirected to “water, transportation, it could be vouchers, it could be anything.” She cites the funding adequacy study led by Dr. Lori Taylor at Texas A&M, noting that the Legislature went six years without increasing the basic allotment despite inflation.
Some school boards have considered withholding recapture payments as a form of protest, but Bender warns, “you can actually go to jail for doing that.” The episode reframes a debate most Texans have only encountered as a tax-bill line item, making clear that the nearly $3 billion in recapture payments primarily benefits the state budget, not local classrooms.
The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, spotlights operators, advocates, and civic leaders shaping the state’s future through candid, long-form conversation. New episodes release weekly across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This episode is available now wherever podcasts are heard.
