Special Session Starts Tuesday - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Texas lawmakers Tuesday vowed to put aside partisan differences and work to come up with a better school funding system.

Governor Rick Perry called the 30-day special session to try to replace the so-called "Robin Hood system." The current system depends on real estate taxes from property-wealthy districts to help fund schools in poorer districts.

Governor Rick Perry Talks Taxes with NewsChannel 11 Watch the entire interview with Texas Governor Rick Perry as he discusses the Proposed School Property Tax Plan and the special session with the Texas Legislature.

Perry's plan would replace the share-the-wealth system with a lower statewide business property tax and a lower residential property tax at the local level. The governor backs using various so-called "sin taxes," including a $1 per pack cigarette tax.