AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A demographics expert has testified about the Texas booming Hispanic population at a trial about how the state funds public education.
Former director of the U.S. Census Bureau Steve Murdock testified Tuesday that the trend will continue through 2050.
Murdock also said minorities tend to earn less than whites. That means the earning power of households statewide could fall so sharply by 2050 that it costs Texas $11.4 billion annually in lost tax revenue.
Murdock said studies are nearly unanimous in concluding that increased education is a key to improving earning power.
More than 600 school districts have sued Texas, arguing that the way the state funds its schools in inequitable and unfair, violating the Texas Constitution.
The trial in Austin is expected to last into January.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
