In a local move that reflects the national struggle over education funding, voters in Central Texas have rendered a split decision on whether to support their school districts with higher tax rates. As per
KVUE
, Austin, Manor, and San Marcos ISD were given the go-ahead to raise their taxes, which will fund various school district needs from teacher salaries to facility upgrades. However, other districts like Liberty Hill, Marble Falls, and Blanco ISD faced rejection from their voters, leaving them to grapple with insufficient budgets.
Manor ISD Superintendent Robert Sormani expressed his relief, telling
KVUE
that he’s “so happy for my staff that they could have some great news to wake up to [Wednesday] morning.” The approval of a $1.08 per taxable $100 rate in Manor ISD will allow access to non-recapturable “golden pennies” that promise an addition of $4.8 million to their budget – a critical boost that has been awaited since the stagnation of state-level funding since 2019. This will be seen as increases in staff salaries by another 2% of the midpoint in the school year, impacting a range of staff from janitors to social workers.
Meanwhile, as reported by
NBC DFW
, six more school districts laid out their plea for fiscal assistance to voters. Celina and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD emerged victorious, but four other districts weren’t as fortunate. Celina Superintendent Tom Maglisceau credited his victory to efforts made to inform the electorate, acknowledging how vital clear communication is during the voting process. His counterpart in Coppell ISD, Superintendent Brad Hunt, after seeing the tax hike rejected, warned of looming budget cuts that could negatively affect schools and employee salaries.
The tax rate adjustments come in an environment where school districts are trying to patch the holes in their budgets left by fixed state funding and rising costs. Teachers like Megan Beth Hedgecock have had to reach into their own pockets to cover classroom needs, spending thousands of their own money to provide for their students – a charitable act that underscores the dire need for additional financial support. According to Hedgecock in her interview with
KVUE
, the tax rate approval is a sign that the community values their children’s education and the quality of their learning environments.
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