Austin ISD claims victory in tax rate election
Austin ISD officials broke out into cheers during an election night watch party Tuesday as it became clear voters had approved a tax rate increase that will raise millions of dollars in new funding for the district. The district plans to use that money to give most employees raises and help pay down its $119 million budget deficit.
About 58% of voters approved Austin ISD Proposition A, according to results from the Travis County Clerk.
"I am just so encouraged and so grateful to our community for choosing to invest in our schools and our students," Arati Singh, AISD school board president, said. "Let's really focus now on getting some good laws passed in the Legislature in January."
The proposed increase is 9.1 cents per $100 of a property's taxable value, which would raise the tax rate from $0.8595 to $0.9505. According to the district , someone with a home worth just over $553,000 will see their school district property taxes go up by about $34 per month if voters OK Austin ISD Proposition A.
Austin ISD estimates the tax rate increase would generate $171 million in new revenue. The district would keep $41 million, while $130 million would head to the state because of recapture. The decades-old system, also known as "Robin Hood," redistributes money from districts with high property values to those with lower property values. Essentially, if a district collects more in property taxes than the state's school finance formulas say it needs to operate, the extra funding goes to other schools.
Of the $41 million Austin ISD would keep, $17.8 million has been earmarked to give 85% of regular, benefits-eligible staff a raise . The goal, district officials have said, is to make salaries more competitive with surrounding school systems, especially when it comes to veteran teachers. Another $20 million would be used to chip away at the budget deficit. The remaining $3.2 million is set to go toward more mental health and special education support for schools.
Among the groups and organizations supporting Prop A is the Austin Chamber . President and CEO Jeremy Martin said the chamber wants to make sure the district has the resources it needs to prepare students for life after school.
"The chamber board of directors voted in favor of this ballot initiative to ensure we have a local talent development pipeline, where every student is prepared with the knowledge and skills to thrive in college, career, and life," he said.
The Austin Council of PTAs and Education Austin, the union representing district employees, have also endorsed the tax rate increase. And while several former school board members also back Prop A, a group of 10 former trustees have spoken out against it . One of the key reasons they oppose it is the percentage of money subject to recapture.
Even with the measure's passage, Austin ISD officials have said the district must still cut roughly $90 million in spending over the next three years to balance its budget.
Manor ISD, Liberty Hill ISD, San Marcos CISD and Marble Falls ISD have tax rate elections on their ballots as well. As of Tuesday night, just over 52% of Manor ISD voters backed the district's tax rate proposition.
Austin ISD voters also decided on a couple seats on the school board.
LaRessa Quintana leads Sarah Ivory, 60.87% to 39.13%, in the race to replace Ofelia Zapata in District 2 after early voting and initial Election Day returns. Six people are running for the at-large seat Noelita Lugo is vacating. The candidates for Trustee At-Large Position 8 are Amy Moore, Dylan "Sky" MacAdams, Fernando Lucas de Urioste, Lindsey Stringer, Nathaniel Hellman and Nick Franke. Urioste currently leads with nearly 32.45% of the vote.
Incumbents Kevin Foster and Lynn Boswell ran unopposed for District 3 and 5, respectively.
