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San Antonio‑Area School Districts Put Multiple Tax Increases and Bonds on Nov. 3 Ballot

District leaders want local funds to cover teacher pay, deferred maintenance and safety upgrades after rising costs reduced local budgets, the districts say.

Overview

  • Six districts have formal measures for the Nov. 3 election: SAISD and Northside each filed both voter‑approval tax rate elections and large bond packages, while East Central, South San, Schertz‑CiboloUniversal City and Comal ISDs also placed tax or bond questions on the ballot.
  • San Antonio ISD is seeking a 3.17‑cent increase to its maintenance‑and‑operations rate plus a $600 million, three‑proposition bond, and Northside is seeking a 3‑cent M&O increase alongside an $886.2 million bond package.
  • Districts say the new money would pay for teacher and staff pay, catch up on deferred building maintenance, replace HVAC systems and buses, update technology and fund campus safety improvements.
  • Officials have published homeowner cost estimates and revenue projections, with SAISD projecting about $70 more per year for an average $240,000 home if all its measures pass and Northside estimating roughly $45–46 million in new annual M&O revenue from its 3‑cent request.
  • School leaders point to rising costs, enrollment shifts, higher borrowing and 2025 state changes that expanded homestead exemptions and trimmed local taxable value as the reasons for the local asks, a dynamic that could push districts to rely more on voter approval for recurring operations and capital needs.