Governor Rick Perry said that the Texas Legislature made good progress in the effort to improve and fund public schools and to provide property tax relief during its first special session. Perry said more work is needed and that he intends to call the members back into special session at the appropriate time.

“When I announced last month that I was calling legislators back to Austin to address school finance, I opened the door to the strong possibility that our work on this complex issue would not be complete in one special session,” Perry said. “Taxpayers should know that this session was productive because it clarified the challenge and focused the debate on the finer details of education reform and public school finance.”

Perry said that he intends to continue actively negotiating with legislators of both parties to come to a bipartisan agreement on a solution that provides real property tax relief for Texas families, better schools for Texas children, and a strong job climate for Texas workers. The Governor is still encouraging the passage of legislation that would allow video lottery terminals at racetracks. This legislation requires an amendment to the Texas constitution and would require a statewide vote by Texans.

“I am committed to spending whatever time it takes to address this issue,” said Perry. “However, I also recognize that it is more important to get this issue right than to get it right away, and I think Texans would agree.”