A referendum on the Spring ISD tax rate choice will go before voters in November after the district’s board of directors voted to put the item on the ballot during its Aug. 13 meeting.
Current situation
SISD Trustees voted unanimously to add the VATRE to the ballot and approved the district’s overall tax rate for the 2024-25 fiscal year, with Board Secretary Kelly P. Hodges absent. The approved overall tax rate for the 2024-25 fiscal year is $1.1569 per $100 of value, an increase of nearly $0.05 over the district’s tax rate for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
If approved, VATRE could generate $20.4 million in additional revenue for the district annually, while the average homeowner would have to pay $7 more per month on a home valued at $275,977, according to an Aug. 8 presentation by SISD Chief Financial Officer Ann Westbrooks. Homeowners who are over 65 or who receive a property tax exemption due to a disability will not see an increase in their tax bill.
“I just want to point out that we wouldn’t have to do this if the Texas state legislature fulfilled its responsibility under the Texas Constitution to support public education; if it did its job,” said Trustee Deborah Jensen.
If the VAT reform is approved in November, the revenue will be used for the following purposes, according to Westbrooks:
- Reducing SISD’s budget deficit from nearly $12 million in fiscal year 2024-25 to less than $1 million
- 2% salary increase for all employees
- Additional pay equity adjustments for teachers with three to 24 years of experience
How we got here
The SISD Board of Trustees approved a balanced budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year – including potential VATRE funds – on June 11 by a tie vote, as previously reported by Impact on the community. SISD had a $25 million general fund deficit in the 2024–25 fiscal year, which was reduced to $13 million in May.
A different point of view
“It’s also hard to ask our taxpayers to raise taxes because the officials we elected don’t support the future of our students in this community,” said board President Justine Durant. “So it’s a difficult decision. It’s one that I struggle with, but I think, I don’t know if … I feel comfortable sitting here and being against (the VATRE) and not allowing the community to make that decision for us.”
Stay tuned
Trustees will discuss the results of a mandatory efficiency audit for VATRE on Oct. 8, Westbrooks said. Trustees selected financial firm Whitley Penn as the auditor on June 11.
