School district trustees in Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, and San Marcos have all put voter-approval tax rate elections on the November ballot.
Unlike a bond, a VATRE raises the maintenance and operations tax rate and does not incur debt.
Liberty Hill’s VATRE proposition, if passed, would set the school district tax rate at $1.23 per $100 property valuation. This would raise taxes on a medium-value home to an additional $18.11 per month.
In the past six years, Liberty Hill ISD reduced the property tax rate by 37 cents per $100 property evaluation. The school district cites a lack of state funding, inflation, and expiring federal funding for fast-growing districts as reasons for the tax increase.
Liberty Hill ISD currently owes more than $700 million in taxpayer-backed debt.
Manor ISD’s voter-approved tax rate election seeks to raise the school district tax to $1.0814 per $100 property valuation for the 2024-2025 school year. The 2023-2024 school district tax rate was $1.0861 per $100 property evaluation.
The proposed increase would add approximately $4.8 million annually to the operating budget. The district cites the loss of certain federal funding, rising operations costs, and a need to increase teacher pay as reasons for the tax increase.
Manor ISD currently owes more than $500 million in taxpayer-backed debt.
Marble Falls ISD seeks to raise the school district tax rate to 91.22 cents per $200 property valuation, a 2.67-cent raise from its current rate. The school district would collect $2.2 million in additional funding with this new rate.
If the VATRE is passed, the district says the funds will be used to avoid large class sizes, continue funding class programs, and offer competitive salaries to staff.
Marble Falls ISD currently owes nearly $75 million in taxpayer-backed debt.
San Marcos ISD is facing a budget deficit that it hopes to offset with funds from raising the school district tax by .0237 cents. This would make the tax rate $1.0152 and add $2.8 million to the district’s coffers.
The district plans to use the funds to offset the budget deficit, support competitive salaries, and provide instructional materials and safety equipment.
San Marcos CISD currently owes more than $330 million in taxpayer-backed debt.
“Texas taxpayers can not afford higher taxes, and it is irresponsible for school districts to attempt to burden Texas families even more,” Andrew McVeigh, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, told Texas Scorecard.
“Taxpayers should reject any VATREs that are proposed and demand that their local governments live within their means, just like Texas families must do every day.”
Each of these VATRE propositions will appear on the General Election ballot in November. Early voting runs from October 21 to November 1.
