Voters to decide on property tax increase to help Austin ISD budget deficit

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin ISD Board of Trustees voted to put a potential property tax rate increase on the November ballot. The increase would help with the district's budget deficit. 

The Board voted 8-1. The Voter Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE, proposes an 8.3% increase in the tax rate. 

For the average homeowner, the increase is roughly a dollar a day, or around $400 annually. If passed, roughly $171 million would be generated, but because of state recapture, the district would get about $41 million.

The majority of trustees say this is necessary to support the district.

"Last year, the Texas legislature passed a state budget that left billions of dollars in surplus and did not provide enough additional funding for Texas public schools, our students, or our teachers to cover rising costs and new state mandates," Arati Singh, AISD Board President, said. 

The only "no" vote came from Trustee Kevin Foster, who says the state should be putting more towards public education.

"With each new dollar we give the state, the state effectively buys down its own investment in public education," he said. "We are in an abusive relationship with the state. When you are in an abusive relationship, at some point you have to say no."

"I'm left with this being the only available option right now for increasing revenue for the district in the foreseeable future," Trustee David Kauffman said.

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If it doesn't pass, the Board says there would be $20 million more in cuts. 

"If approved by voters, this spending will allow us to allocate resources to hire positions that provide direct support to the classroom," Matias Segura, AISD superintendent said. 

The current deficit would be reduced to $78 million with VATRE.

VATRE brings in about $550 per student.

The Board says with every dollar they bring in, they're committed to cutting two dollars. 

"Do we trust the voters of Austin to say, 'yeah, our kids are worth a dollar a day?' I think so," Karen Reyes, a special education teacher at Galindo Elementary said. 

"Please do this now, because we need it now, but then come join me and join the fight and come make sure that [the state] gives us the money our children deserve," Margarita Acuna Mintzer, AISD parent, said.