For David Thompson, the latest school finance lawsuit filed against the state by Fort Worth, Keller, Dallas, Denton, Houston, Austin and 77 other Texas school districts hinges first on one word: why.

As in, why do we have public schools, anyway?

Thompson, a Houston attorney, will argue the case. Four other groups of plaintiffs have filed suits, and all five have been combined into one case set for trial in Austin starting Oct. 22.