The China Spring ISD Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a 3.7-cent decrease to the district's total school tax rate and voted to call a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) for November 4, 2025.
The new proposed tax rate is $0.98192 per $100 of valuation, down from last year's rate of $1.0185. If voters approve the VATRE this fall, the district estimates it will generate approximately $2.16 million in additional annual funding for public schools while still reducing the total tax rate.
"Our goal is to bring in additional tax revenue to support operations, which means the people and programs that directly impact student success," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Faulkner. "We've carefully balanced community feedback with our district's growing needs to create a plan that includes a lower tax rate while still generating revenue to support our work for students."
In a community survey conducted earlier this year, many respondents expressed concerns about a full 10-cent increase. The Board responded by proposing a more conservative 6-cent increase to the maintenance and operations (M&O) portion of the tax rate, which still results in an overall school tax rate that is lower than last year's.
If approved, the additional revenue will be used to support:
Recruitment and retention of high-quality teaches and staff
Maintaining manageable class sizes and protecting student opportunities
Sustaining daily operations that keep schools running efficiently
If approved, the VATRE will provide funding to bring additional support for teacher and staff salaries and student programs, and the total school tax rate will be lower than the 2024 rate.
"The final decision is in the hands of our community," Faulkner said. "We hope all registered China Spring ISD voters will come out and vote on November 4 or during early voting beginning October 20."
China Spring ISD encourages residents to stay informed by attending one of the upcoming informational meetings or visiting the district's website at https://www.chinaspringisd.net/page/vatre.