Voters to decide on several local school bond proposals
DALLAS - Several school districts are asking voters for permission to either borrow money or increase taxes to improve public schools.
The Dallas Independent School District hopes voters will approve the largest bond issue in Texas history in Tuesday’s election.
Dallas ISD is proposing a $3.7 billion bond package to help fund technology improvements and invest in safety and security.
The money would also go toward building 14 new and replacement campuses and would address racial equity by creating family resource centers in and around schools targeted as historically underfunded.
District administrators said the property tax rate would not change if the bond is passed despite the confusing wording on the ballot. If property values increase, taxes would still go up.
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The Arlington ISD board of trustees is calling for a tax rate increase on this year’s ballot. If approved, it would generate about $56 million in additional revenue for the district.
The district said the revenue would go toward teacher pay, access to state funding and staff pay.
The proposition is a nearly 9 cent increase. It would cost the owner of an average home in Arlington valued around $200,000 an additional $14 per month.
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And Fort Worth ISD is calling for a nearly 10 cent increase.
The district’s proposed tax hike would collect $44 million in operating revenue from local property owners, plus an additional $22 million from the state.
Fort Worth ISD’s website said the average homeowner’s school tax bill would increase by about $13 a month.
The increase would go toward teacher pay, personal protective equipment and devices for students.