A sign points voters into the polling place at Austin City Hall as early voting begins for the March primary elections in Texas, Feb. 17, 2026. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Five Central Texas school districts will ask voters in November to increase their school property tax rates to pay for teacher raises and cover ballooning costs.
The ask from five school systems — Bastrop, Del Valle, Georgetown, Leander and Round Rock independent school districts — comes as public schools across the state grapple with budget challenges and increasing costs, forcing many districts to cut budgets, staff and programming or close schools.
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Manor ISD has also called a $400 million bond election to raise money for school and facilities renovations.
School districts must set tax rates at or below a number provided by the state, calculated based on property value growth. If a school district wants to raise the tax rate above that threshold — and bring in more local property tax revenue — the school board must ask for voter approval.
Tax rate elections, which raise new money for a district’s day-to-day operations, differ from bond elections, which typically fund large capital purchases like school buses, technology or new buildings.
Early voting begins Oct. 19. Election Day is Nov. 3.
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Bastrop ISD
Officials with Bastrop ISD are asking voters to increase the tax rate from $1.0679 to $1.0809 per $100 of property value, which would raise another $6 million annually.
Without the tax rate increase, the district’s rate would have fallen to $1.0509 because of state-approved increases to the homestead exemption and declining property values.
A resident with an average-value home worth $378,000 would pay an extra $72 annually if voters approve the proposed tax rate.
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In Bastrop ISD, officials hope to use the extra $6 million to increase staff salaries and pay for campus police officers. Under House Bill 3, passed in 2023, districts must staff an armed officer or guard on every campus.
“The low-hanging fruit has long since been picked,” CFO Mike White said of budget cuts during a board meeting. “At this point, it’s running pretty lean. Most of it is staff.”
Del Valle ISD
Del Valle ISD’s school board has also called on voters to approve more funding, increasing the district’s property tax rate from 94 cents to $1.03 per $100 of property value.
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A 9-cent increase would bring an additional $13.9 million to the district. District officials expect they would use the funds for a 3% raise for professional staff, a 5% raise for hourly staff and staff salaries at the district’s new high school, which opens in 2028 in Whisper Valley south of Manor.
Owners of the average Del Valle home worth $314,376 would pay another $9.14 in school property taxes annually, according to the district.
“Less than $10 a year to help us pay salaries, increase salaries,” Board Vice President Susanna Ledesma Woody said during a meeting. “That’s pretty darn awesome.”
Georgetown ISD
Officials in Georgetown ISD hope to raise the property tax rate from $1.0506 per $100 of property value to $1.1106, generating $8.4 million annually. The extra funding would increase teachers’ salaries by 3.5% to 4% and other staff salaries by 3%.
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Without the tax rate increase, Georgetown ISD officials would need to increase class sizes, reduce staff or cut back on student activities and offerings to provide a staff raise, according to the district.
The average homeowner with a home worth $444,465 would pay an additional $7.97 annually on their property tax bill.
“The board has kind of held out and done everything they could up to this point to generate the revenue and to cut expenses,” CFO Clay Goehring said during a board meeting. “Many other districts have gone the (tax rate increase) route or adopted a deficit budget.”
Leander ISD
Leander ISD administrators are asking voters to increase the district’s property tax rate by 3 cents, from $1.0869 to $1.1169 per $100 of property value. If approved, the increase would raise an additional $6.7 million for the district to stave off future budget cuts and give staff a one-time bonus. Officials didn’t specify how much the bonus would be.
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“We’ve cut costs,” Board President Anna Smith said in a statement. “We’ve made hard decisions. And we’re still facing a financial challenge.”
The district has cut about $26 million over two years.
Although the higher tax rate would raise about $12.1 million, Leander ISD would send about $5.4 million to the state as part of the recapture or “Robin Hood” program.
A tax rate increase would cost homeowners with an average-value home worth $460,292 an extra $27.56 annually.
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Round Rock ISD
Round Rock ISD officials hope to generate an additional $19 million if voters approve a higher tax rate.
District officials asked residents to approve a 5.5-cent increase, boosting the tax rate from 89.31 cents to 94.84 cents per $100 of property value.
Round Rock ISD officials hope to give staff a 2% raise and increase the district’s minimum pay rate to $17 per hour.
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“All this is pretty much going back to benefit our staff directly,” Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez said.
If voters approve the district’s proposed tax rate, the owner of a $500,000 home, which is the average value in the area, would pay an additional $276 annually in property taxes next year, according to the district.
Manor ISD
Manor ISD trustees have called a $400 million bond, which district officials have said would not increase what the average homeowner pays in taxes.
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The district is asking voters to approve two separate measures.
The largest proposal, dubbed Proposition A, worth $391.5 million, would pay for campus renovations and additional classrooms at multiple campuses. It would also fund additions for Manor New Tech and Manor high schools.
Proposition B, valued at $8.5 million, would purchase new devices for staff and students.
“We want to provide safe, functional and future-ready learning environments for our students and staff and Bond 2026 is the next step,” Superintendent Robert Sormani said in a statement.
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Texas law requires districts to break up bond packages into separate propositions if officials ask for work around stadiums, fine arts facilities, technology updates or other similar proposals.
Although the bond would increase the tax rate by 0.0385 cents if both measures are approved, the average homeowner with a $331,764 home would see their monthly bill decrease by $9.56 because of declining property values.