"I don't want to be part of an orchestrated charade," Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, complained after the legislative hearing to cut about $4 billion from what public schools would get under current law.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 10-1 to approve the bill. The full Senate could vote today on the legislation. The House Appropriations Committee wants to pass the measure on Saturday, sending it to the full House for consideration early next week.

GOP leaders said it would be impossible to get the two-thirds legislative vote needed to spend more from the $6.4 billion in uncommitted rainy day funds, even though a former lawmaker who helped create it in the 1980s testified that it was meant specifically to ensure public education funding did not get cut during hard times.

"The original intent of the rainy day fund was to deal precisely with the circumstances that we are in right now," Paul Colbert, a former Houston legislator and public education committee chairman, told the House Appropriations Committee.

Colbert said the savings account never was intended to be used to deal with natural disasters - for which Gov. Rick Perry has insisted it be saved.

"It was intended specifically to make sure that we would not make cuts to public education," Colbert said.

'For public appearance'

Colbert's testimony and the objections raised by other Texans against massive cuts to public education are not likely to matter as lawmakers race to approve legislation necessary to allocate those cuts to public school districts.

"It seems as if the public input is more for public appearance rather than for us to listen to their comments and make changes based on the merit of their comments," Turner said.

Under the proposal, Texas school districts generally will see 6 percent cut from what they would receive under current law.

The reduction will mark the first time in modern history that Texas will not provide school districts with funding to cover enrollment growth - estimated at nearly 170,000 more students during the next two years. Another $1.4 billion in public education cuts will affect discretionary grants covering such programs as dropout prevention and full-day pre-kindergarten classes.

Perry called lawmakers back for a special session on Tuesday after Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, killed the school finance measure with a filibuster late Sunday night.

More being spent

Public school supporters plan to take the case to voters next year.

"We'll see how the public responds to all of this - especially the tea party because that's one of the things they were sensitive to - the arrogance of governmental leaders doing things without listening to the people," Turner said.

The budget cuts will cost Houston-area school districts at least $668 million.

Senate Budget Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, emphasized that the state actually is spending more for public education in the next two years than it did in the past budget cycle. The spending cuts reflect a reduction in what schools would get under current law.

"The Draconian things that people are saying about what's going to happen to our schools - I don't believe 'em," said Ogden, who added it would be impossible to get the two-thirds legislative vote needed to spend more from the rainy day fund.

Most of the people appearing before legislative committees Thursday opposed the bill.

"It undermines the education for a future generation of Texan children - and it's not OK," Houston parent Sue Deigaard said. "My children are growing up to be taxpayers in this state, but unfortunately, my children will have to bear a burden because they will have to pay for more kids that will be incarcerated because they didn't get an education."

Several school superintendents in property-poor areas complained that their high property tax rates are subsidizing school districts with low tax rates - even though they get much higher revenue per student.

Some wealthy school district superintendents support the bill, however.

"We think it's a reasonable and rational plan given the realities of the state revenue system," Highland Park Superintendent Dawson Orr said on behalf of his school district and the Texas School Coalition.

gscharrer@express-news.net