In dozens of school districts across Texas, voters decided Tuesday whether to accept or reject big property tax increases and new bond debt that must be repaid with property taxes.
A few of the biggest school bonds on the November 5 ballot were rejected—including the largest bond in Texas history, which was proposed by Houston Independent School District.
Voters in other districts approved huge bond propositions that will burden local property taxpayers for decades.
Some voters also accepted increases in the amount of property taxes they will pay for school maintenance and operating expenses, including teacher pay, while many others said no to the tax hikes.
Four school districts—East Central, Frenship, Frisco, and Rockwall—proposed both a tax rate increase and bonds; in three of the four, they all failed.
A sampling of the election results, which remain unofficial until they are canvassed:
Allen ISD voters approved two of three proposed bonds that totaled $447 million:
- Proposition A for $419 million ($681 million with interest) passed 56-44 percent. The tax money will be spent on renovating existing facilities and a new “multi-purpose” athletic complex that many voters thought should have been placed in a separate proposition.
- Proposition B for $5.3 million failed 48-52 percent. It would have paid for new track surfaces at two campuses.
- Proposition C authorizing $23 million ($25 million with interest) for technology passed 53-47 percent.
Canyon ISD, which electioneered “for” a proposed tax increase on its tax-funded website, failed to pass its VATRE, with 59 percent voting against.
East Central ISD voters rejected all four ballot propositions, including a tax rate increase and three bonds totaling $360 million ($720 million with interest).
Frenship ISD voters approved a VATRE and two bonds totaling $200 million. The Lubbock County school district was the only one to succeed in passing both a tax rate increase and tax-funded bonds.
Frisco ISD voters rejected all four ballot propositions, including a tax rate increase and three bonds totaling more than $1 billion ($2.1 billion with interest), despite district officials spending taxpayer money to aggressively promote the propositions.
A small group of local taxpayers spent their own money on “Vote No” signs.
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD passed a VATRE that district officials calculate will generate an additional $6 million in tax revenue, with 58 percent of voters approving the tax increase.
Highland Park ISD passed a $137 million bond ($214 million with interest) with 68 percent of the vote. District officials’ bond marketing materials emphasized that the bond would not raise the property tax rate, misleading many voters to incorrectly believe their property taxes would not increase as a result of passing the bond.
Houston ISD voters rejected two bonds totaling $4.4 billion ($8.8 billion with interest)—the largest bond proposal in Texas history. The massive bonds drew bipartisan opposition.
Magnolia ISD voters rejected a VATRE 60-40 percent.
Midlothian ISD voters soundly rejected a proposed tax rate increase. Trustee Ed Harrison, who opposed the increase, posted on social media:
Some claimed the higher taxes from the VATRE were essential. Nonetheless, the wisdom of the voters prevailed and the VATRE was defeated 57% to 43%, this despite the MISD spending over $70K taxpayer dollars promoting it.
Contrary to the pro-VATRE message, teacher pay this year was increased 3% and admin 1%. Also, I was 1 of only 2 Trustees who voted against last year’s budget BECAUSE it did not contain the promised 2% teacher pay increase.
Fiscal restraint and teacher pay increases must go hand in hand. I won’t stop fighting for fiscal restraint and conservative policies, because our children deserve the best education possible while taxpayers need the lowest tax possible, and the two are not mutually exclusive. For those who believe MISD taxes should be higher, feel free to voluntarily pay more.
Northwest ISD voters rejected a tax rate increase proposed by the district to offset a planned budget deficit.
Rockwall ISD voters rejected all four ballot propositions by at least a 10-point margin, including a double-digit tax rate increase and three bonds totaling $848 million ($1.5 billion with interest). A proposal to spend $42 million on football stadium upgrades failed by a 22-point margin.
While district officials spent taxpayer money aggressively promoting propositions, and a pro-bond PAC funded by special interests spent more than $100,000 on marketing, a group of local taxpayers spent their own money organizing a successful “Vote No” campaign.
Round Rock ISD voters approved three of four bonds that totaled $998 million:
- Proposition A for $798 million ($1.2 billion with interest) passed 61-39 percent. The tax money will be spent on building updates, a new Career and Technical Education facility, and buses.
- Proposition B authorizing $125 million ($160 million with interest) for technology passed 59-41 percent.
- Proposition C for $8.6 million ($13.7 million with interest) passed 55-45 percent and will fund fine arts programs.
- Proposition D for $65.9 million failed 44-56 percent. The money would have been spent on athletic facilities.
Tatum ISD—which conducted its own VATRE (Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election) separate from the county-run general election—announced that the district’s tax rate proposal passed with 80 percent of the vote.
Taxpayer advocates plan to challenge the validity of the election, citing the district’s inaccurate or misleading information about the tax impact of the vote as well as voters not knowing where to vote on the proposition. Early voting was conducted at the Tatum ISD administration building.
“This is TRUE suppression, the real thing,” said taxpayer advocate Morgan Collier, who was volunteering outside a polling place on Election Day. “A couple came out after voting for the regular ballot and asked where to vote against the VATRE, because it wasn’t offered to them.”
Turkey-Quitaque ISD, another district that electioneered “for” a proposed tax increase on its tax-funded website and social media, announced that its VATRE “passed.”
Waller ISD voters approved the larger of two bonds totaling $713 million:
- Proposition A for $702.5 million ($1.32 billion with interest) passed with 55 percent of the vote. The tax money will be spent on building four new schools, land for future schools, and buses.
- Proposition B authorizing $11 million for new technology failed.
Willis ISD voters rejected three bond propositions totaling $115 million, including funding for a new football stadium.
Voters also rejected tax increases in Alvarado, Argyle, Birdville, Blanco, Borger, Bushland, Channing, Coppell, Corpus Christi, Coupland, Crandall, Huckabay, Industrial, Kirbyville, Liberty Hill, Marble Falls, Peaster, Quanah, Roosevelt, Rotan, Sealy, Seguin, Spring, Tarkington, Texas City, Uvalde, Victoria, West Rusk County, and Yoakum ISDs.
“It’s definitely a lot of work to commit and campaign against the TASB-Industrial Complex,” commented Amy Hedtke, an experienced activist against bonds and tax rate increases. TASB refers to the Texas Association of School Boards—a taxpayer-funded lobbying organization that offers training to school officials on how to pass bonds and tax hikes.
Hedtke calculated that all the VATREs proposed by school districts in November 2024 represented a $267 million a year tax increase on local property taxpayers.
She and other taxpayer advocates plan to testify at a Senate Local Government Committee hearing on November 7 on recommendations for improving “voter control over tax rate setting and debt authorization” including school district VATREs and bond elections.
According to the Texas Bond Review Board, school districts currently owe $120 billion in property tax-supported bond debt.
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