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On Nov. 5, voters in 10 North Texas school districts will be asked to weigh in on more than a dozen bond or tax propositions.
Below is a rundown of the school district VATRE and bond props, with links to district pages for more details.
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Voters considering the following propositions will be asked whether they are "for" or "against" each.
ALLEN ISD BOND PROPOSITIONS
The Allen Independent School District is asking voters to consider $447 million in three bonds this November. Click here to read more on the Allen ISD bond package.
ARGYLE ISD VATRE PROPOSITION
Proposition A -- Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $1.2869 per $100 valuation in the Argyle Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 10.4 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the District for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $6,915,000.
Read more on the Argyle bond proposition here.
BIRDVILLE ISD BOND PROPOSITION
Proposition A -- The issuance of $48,000,000 of bonds by the Birdville Independent School District for the purpose of constructing, improving and equipping multipurpose indoor facilities at each high school, and the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds. This is a property tax increase.
Read more about the Birdville bond proposition here.
CELINA ISD VATRE PROPOSITION
Proposition A -- "Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of 1.2358 in Celina Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 37.64 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $10,539,090.
Read more about the Celina bond proposition here.
COPPELL ISD VATRE PROPOSITION
Proposition A -- "Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $1.0343 in Coppell Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 8.28 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $11,166,995.
Read more about the Coppell bond proposition here.
FRISCO ISD BOND AND VATRE PROPOSITION
The Frisco Independent School District is asking voters to consider nearly $1.1 billion in bonds and a $.0294 increase in the Voter-Approved Tax Rate this November. Click here to read more on the Frisco ISD bond package and VATRE.
GRAPEVINE-COLLEYVILLE ISD VATRE PROPOSITION
Proposition A -- Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $0.9233 per $100 valuation in the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 1.08 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for the current year as compared to the previous year, which is an additional $1,513,042.
Read more about the GCISD bond proposition here.
HIGHLAND PARK ISD BOND PROPOSITION
Proposition A - The issuance of $137,300,000 of bonds for the construction, acquisition, renovation, improvement, and equipment of school buildings for the district, including equipment for school safety and security purposes, for the purchase of news chol buses, and for the purchase of necessary sites for school buildings, and the levying of a tax sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds and the costs of any credit agreements executed in connection with the bonds. This is a property tax increase.
Read more about the Highland Park bond proposition here.
NORTHWEST ISD VATRE PROPOSITION
Proposition A -- "Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $1.1179 per $100 valuation in Northwest Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 4.29 percent in maintenance and operations tax for the district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $13,849,486."
Read more about the Northwest bond proposition here.
SUNNYVALE ISD BOND PROPOSITIONS
Proposition A - The issuance of $77,895,000 of bonds by the Sunnyvale Independent School District for the construction, improvement, expansion, renovation and equipment of school facilities and safety and
security enhancements in the District, including the acquisition of school buses, and the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds. This is a property tax increase.
Proposition B - The issuance of $16,945,000 of bonds by the Sunnyvale Independent School District for the construction, acquisition and equipment of a new district multipurpose student activity center, and the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds. This is a property tax increase.
Proposition C - The issuance of $900,000 of bonds by the Sunnyvale Independent School District for the resurfacing of the track at Raider Stadium and repairs from storm damage, and the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds. This is a property tax increase.
Read more about the Sunnyvale bond propositions here.
HOW ARE TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS FUNDED?
Texas school districts are funded by three sources: Federal money, state money and local taxes. Local taxes comprise two tax rates, Maintenance and Operations (M&O) and Interest and Sinking (I&S), set by the school board. M&O is the money used to pay for the day-to-day operations of a school district, including salaries and professional development, utilities, curriculum, building maintenance, and student services. I&S is the money generated from bonds to pay for new buildings, renovations, security, buses and other large expenses. The I&S tax rate is used to repay the bonds. Funding approved for M&O and I&S projects can't be mixed.
HOW CAN BOND MONEY BE SPENT?
Bond money can only be spent on capital projects like new buildings, renovations, security upgrades, land acquisition, and other non-recurring costs. It can't be spent on salaries, staff, utilities, fuel, or other recurring costs. The money repaid from a bond will include interest over time, generally 30 years. Many districts try to repay their bonds early to save on the interest obligation.
WHAT IS A VATRE?
VATRE stands for Voter Approval Tax Rate Elections. If a district needs to increase funding for salaries, daily operating expenses, or other recurring costs, then they have to ask voters to approve of an increase of the M&O Voter Approved Tax Rate (VATR). Many districts hold VATREs to increase M&O funding because they have a deficit. State legislators have not increased funding for schools since 2019, and with inflation and the addition of unfunded mandates, such as adding an armed officer on each campus, many school districts say they are strapped for cash.
'THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE'
A state law requires Texas school districts to include the statement, “This is a property tax increase,” on every ballot proposition. That is true even if the proposition does not increase the tax rate. In their proposals, many Texas school districts say they can issue bonds without increasing the I&S rate. This is often done by taking on new bond debt as old, declining debt is paid off. Read the district's proposal thoroughly to understand whether voting for the bond package will result in a tax rate change. Even without an increase in the tax rate, changes in property tax appraisals could result in a larger tax bill for the property owner.
