Attorneys for other plaintiffs told the judge that it costs more to educate the growing number of students who are poor or don’t speak English as a native language.
David Hinojosa, who represents the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said that 60 percent of Texas students now receive free or reduced-price lunches at school, and as Texas enrollment grows by 80,000 students per year, as many as 95 percent of those new students are from low-income families.
Mark Trachtenberg, arguing on behalf of mostly property-wealthy districts, noted the state’s growing Hispanic population now means roughly one in five students requires extra instruction in English.
‘‘This is not a future crisis,’’ he said, ‘‘it is a present crisis.’’
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