The San Antonio Independent School District became the first area district to join in a planned state finance lawsuit Monday night.

The school board signed on to an effort coordinated by the Equity Center that challenges the system the state uses to fund public schools. The Equity Center represents and supports the financial interests of member school districts by providing legislative, financial, educational and communications services.

Equity Center Executive Director Wayne Pierce said the lawsuit will be filed, possibly next month, by a consortium of school districts, parents and others called the Taxpayer and Student Fairness Association. The Equity Center will provide research, expert testimony and coordination.

“We think the funding formula is wrong. There's no equity,” said SAISD Board President James Howard. “Every two years there's this Band-Aid approach. We have to cut much-needed programs.”

The district cut $28 million from its budget this year because of a loss of both federal and state funds.

The Austin-based Equity Center argues that the funding system is imbalanced because districts with the same tax rates can have wildly varying per-student funding because of differences in property values.

“Part of what we're going to do is keep the public informed all across the state about how their children are being treated,” Pierce said, adding that all taxpayers should be concerned about the school funding system.

“It's just not adequate, and it's not equitable,” Howard said.

Several other Bexar County school districts say they also are mulling their options and could make a decision soon about whether to join in this, or another, state finance lawsuit.