As school districts across Texas are promoting tax increases and tax-funded bonds on the November ballot using carefully worded “information” campaigns, some school officials are crossing the line into explicit electioneering “for” their ballot propositions.
State law prohibits spending school resources on political advertising supporting a ballot issue.
Yet two Texas school districts appear to be doing just that.
Turkey-Quitaque Independent School District, in the Texas Panhandle, posted on its website a copy of its tax increase election notice with the words “Vote FOR the VATRE.”
A VATRE (Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election) is required when districts want to raise property taxes to pay for maintenance and operating expenses higher than the maximum allowed by state law without a public vote.
On another Turkey-Quitaque ISD webpage, officials posted more VATRE “information” that states the one-school district is asking voters to “approve” the tax rate increase.
“A vote ‘YES’ is a vote for the future of our children, our school, and our communities!” district teacher and basketball coach Greg Ramsey is quoted as saying about the VATRE.
Officials in nearby Canyon ISD also posted language on their official district website that appears to cross the line into advocacy.
A webpage dedicated to the district’s Tax Rate Election states that Canyon ISD is seeking community support “for” the tax increase.
Dozens of other school districts across Texas are spending undisclosed amounts of tax dollars on marketing campaigns to promote November ballot propositions that will increase property taxes. Several are pushing both VATREs and tax-funded bonds—including Frisco ISD and Rockwall ISD.
Even when they don’t explicitly tell residents to vote “for” ballot propositions, it’s understood that districts support the tax increases and bond measures as they are the ones who placed the issues on the ballot.
Yet district officials maintain that their marketing campaigns are merely informational and not illegal electioneering.
Legal or not, it’s all being done with taxpayers’ money.
Texas Scorecard has contacted Canyon and Turkey-Quitaque ISD officials about the pro-tax increase language on their district websites.
Voters will find school districts’ proposed tax increases and bond propositions at the bottom of their ballots.
Early voting is underway now through November 1. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.
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