Williamson County school district VATREs

Several school districts have voters on the ballot, which stands for voter approval tax rate election. Georgetown ISD's proposal would increase your school tax bill by just under $8 per month for the average valued home compared to last year. If your home value is the same, it would be about a $15 increase per month. This would generate $8.4 million solely for staff raises. The district says they don't have a budget deficit. They haven't had a voter since 2012. We are a financially lean school district. We put more into the classroom than most school districts our size across Texas. We put less into administration. In fact, our administrators are underpaid compared to administrators in Central Texas. Without it, they might have to increase class sizes, reduce staff, or adjust student programs. This is our only resource to generating revenue to increase pay for teachers and staff. And it is the people who work directly with kids that are the most important function of our school district. Georgetown ISD isn't the only district with a voter on the ballot. In Williamson County, Leander ISD and Round Rock ISD have voters as well. Leander ISD's Prop A would be about $2.30 more per month, or $27 a year. It would generate $6.7 million for the district. Leander ISD has a budget deficit of $9.9 million. They've already cut $26 million over the last two budget cycles, including closing a school and eliminating positions. Nobody wants their taxes to go up, but I think the community in Leander ISD values public education, and these dollars will help maintain and continue programs that are of value to the people that live in our district. Their last voter was four years ago. Round Rock ISD's proposed increase is just under $17 per month. It would generate $15 million to help with staff salaries and health care plus inflation costs. Many districts say increased costs and a lack of state funding contribute to deficits plus recapture, where revenue from property-rich districts get sent to the states to be redistributed to property-poor districts.