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A leading civil rights group filed suit against Texas on Tuesday, asserting that the state is illegally underfunding the education of low-income and limited-English students in the public schools. The lawsuit by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund said the state’s current funding system allows wide funding gaps between lower-wealth and higher-wealth districts, and also does not provide adequate funding for districts to meet current state requirements.

The Texas Employees Retirement System, the state’s second-largest public pension, figures it will save about $20 million next year by shifting most of its retirees to a Medicare Advantage health-insurance plan. Projected unfunded costs for health care fell $828 million or 3.7 percent, mostly because of the shift, said Catherine Terrell, a pension spokeswoman.

The second of four lawsuits that are expected to challenge Texas’ school finance system was filed Friday morning. A coalition of mostly property-wealthy school districts, including Eanes, are claiming that the current system violates the state constitution because it is inadequately funded and effectively imposes a statewide property tax.

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