AUSTIN, Texas — Just hours before the start of the school year, Austin ISD's Board of Trustees approved putting a voter approval tax ratification election, or VATRE, on the November ballot. The motion was approved 8-1 on Monday evening.
If voters approve it, property taxes will go up. The election calls for adding 9 cents to the current property tax value for residents, meaning property owners would expect their tax burden to be around 95 cents per $100 of property value.
The median-valued home in the district would pay an extra $35 per month, which would give the district more than $40 million in funding annually. The district said it will use the money to boost pay for teachers and staff.
Before the Board of Trustees voted, some members gave their input. Kevin Foster, who represents District 3, shared concerns that any dollar taken from taxpayers will go back to the state. He voted against the item.
"We are in an abusive relationship with the state, and when you are in an abusive relationship, at some point, you have to say 'no' and you have to stop. And saying 'no' in the context of an abusive relationship is almost always incredibly painful. But at some point, it has to stop," Foster said.
After the meeting, district leaders, union members and a parent spoke out, asking the community to stand behind them.
Karen Reyes is a member of Education Austin who also teaches at Galindo Elementary.
"We're doing everything possible to do more with less. The state is the one that's doing things wrong. And so, now it comes out to, are the people of Austin going to invest? Because this is an investment in our students and our staff, in our communities, in the future of this city," Reyes said.
Multiple Central Texas school districts want voters to approve tax rate changes to supplement budget shortfalls. Manor ISD and San Marcos CISD also called for a tax rate election on Monday.
The American Federation of Teachers says the proposals are a result of the Texas Legislature's failure to fund public education. Texas has not increased per-student funding for school districts since 2019.
According to a new survey conducted by the Texas State Teachers Association, almost two-thirds of teachers across the state said they have seriously considered leaving the profession.
To help teachers get better compensation, Austin ISD leadership and the Education Austin union have agreed on a draft employee compensation plan for the school year that includes market adjustments and a 25 cent-per-hour increase for some employees. That will only go into effect if voters approve it in the VATRE.
"Even with a VATRE, there is a deficit that still has to be considered," Superintendent Matias Segura previously said in a board meeting.