Nov 7, 2023 Endorsements

Funding for our schools has remained stagnant. The State of Texas has not increased the basic allotment since 2019, and inflation has been 14.4% since that time. We’re not alone in our struggle with the lack of funding. Locally, districts like Leander ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Lake Travis ISD, and Eanes ISD have passed similar propositions in the past six years to help provide additional funds. Our district has cut $25 million from its budget to try and give teachers and staff a raise, but it isn’t enough. State law requires that school districts seek voter approval to raise their tax rate above a prescribed amount. The election is referred to as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE). On August 21, 2023, the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees called a new Prop A VATRE election to be placed on the November 7 ballot to increase revenue for teacher and staff raises.

Approving the new tax rate would provide $19 million of new funding to our instructional budget, providing a total salary increase to 6% for teachers and librarians and 5% for all other staff members. Even if approved, the District’s property tax rate will go down due to state-approved homeowner tax reductions and homestead allowance increases. If approved, the tax rate would be $0.9190 per $100 taxable value. This is a decrease of 14.36 cents from last year’s tax rate.

The Round Rock ISD overall tax rate is expected to remain one of the lowest in the Central Texas area. The $0.9190 cent rate is the lowest for Round Rock ISD in 15 years. Proposition A will not result in an increase in taxes for most homeowners and will still allow us to increase compensation for our educators within Round Rock ISD. 

Our district offers a lower average pay for our teachers and staff than other local districts. Prop A would provide funds for the District to increase teacher salaries to help us recruit and retain high-quality teachers. The District is struggling to fill all open classroom positions, which could result in increased class sizes. RRISD has more than 250 buses driving 140 routes across the District each day, but it has become increasingly difficult to retain bus drivers due to low compensation rates.

Round Rock ISD Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election
Elección de Tasa de Impuestos con Aprobación de los Votantes de Round Rock ISD
Round Rock ISD Proposition A
Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $0.9190 per $100 valuation in Round Rock Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 0 percent in maintenance
and operations tax revenue for the District for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $0.
Round Rock ISD Propuesta A
Ratificando la tasa impositiva ad valorem de $0.9190 por cada $100 de valuación en el Distrito Escolar Independiente de Round Rock para el año en curso, una tasa que resultará en un aumento del 0 en los ingresos por impuestos de mantenimiento y operaciones para el Distrito para el año en curso en comparación con el año anterior, que es un adicional de $0.
For / A Favor
Against / En Contra

The Texas Tax Code provides mandatory ballot language for a VATRE. The statutorily required ballot language assumes that a VATRE will increase the amount of maintenance and operations tax revenue in this year as compared to last year.

The District is not permitted to modify this ballot language to state that its maintenance and operations tax revenue will actually be decreasing from last year. Since there is no increase but rather a decrease when compared to last year’s tax revenue, the ballot will state that it is increasing its maintenance and operations tax revenue by $0.

Round Rock ISD Prop A website
Round Rock ISD Prop A FAQ

State Prop 9 would authorize the Texas Legislature to provide for cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for certain retired educators of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. If voters approve the COLA, the adjustment will take effect in January 2024. The COLA distribution is tiered in the following ways:

• those who retired on/before Aug 31, 2001 receive a 6% COLA, 
• those who retired after Aug. 31, 2001 and on/before Aug. 31, 2013 receive a 4% COLA, and
• those who retired after Aug. 31, 2013 and on/before Aug. 31 2020 receive a 2% COLA. 

The COLA applies for all TRS retirees, regardless of their classification, and will cost the state about $3.3 billion.

State of Texas Proposition 9
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the 88th Legislature to provide a cost-of-living adjustment to certain annuitants of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.”
Propuesta 9 del Estado de Texas
“La enmienda constitucional que autoriza a la 88a Legislatura a proporcionar un ajuste por costo de vida a ciertos beneficiarios del Sistema de Jubilación de Maestros de Texas”.
For / A Favor
Against / En Contra

• Texas AFT :Unpacking the 88th Legislature: Retired Educator COLA – Texas AFT

• Texas Proposition 9, Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Teacher Retirement System Amendment (2023) – Ballotpedia