Part one of this trilogy of policy briefs explains the challenge facing Texas in funding public education. This policy brief explains why a Texas-style personal income tax is the best way to meet the needs of Texas. Only a personal income tax can significantly reduce reliance on property taxes--cutting the school operations tax from $1.50 to $0.50--while providing adequately for education--over $5 billion annually. Alternative tax proposals are not able to reduce property taxes as much or fund public education as well. An expanded business tax by itself cannot raise enough money. A higher sales tax would be volatile and regressive. An income tax would "reduce" taxes on the middle class and "benefit" the economy. Public opinion polls show that Texans are open to considering a Texas-style income tax.