The China Spring ISD Board of Trustees met Monday, August 17, 2026, at 6 pm.
A significant portion of the August meeting centered on the 2026-27 school tax rate. The Board of Trustees held a public hearing on the proposed tax rate before unanimously approving a total tax rate of $0.98192 per $100 valuation for the 2026-27 school year.
School Board Secretary Chris Gerick addressed questions the district and community often hear regarding China Spring ISD's tax rate.
"I think a lot of times, we on the Board and we in the community, we hear from the community about the 'China Spring taxes' and tax rate," Gerick said.
Gerick compared China Spring ISD's proposed tax rate with those of surrounding school districts in McLennan County.
"At that [proposed rate of] $0.98192, I thought it would be good to look at surrounding communities in the county, and I kind of did a little research to put it out there for districts that are comparable, bigger and smaller, and thinking about the tax revenue that they get from their district," Gerick said.
For comparison, Midway ISD's tax rate is $0.9369, slightly lower than China Spring ISD's proposed rate. However, Gerick noted that Midway ISD's 2025 property tax values totaled approximately $8 billion, compared with just under $1.3 billion in China Spring.
Gerick also shared the tax rates for other surrounding districts:
Waco ISD: $1.026600
McGregor ISD: $1.156900
La Vega ISD: $1.255200
Lorena ISD: $0.968449
Members of the community can view 2025 tax rates for McLennan County Taxing Districts online at mclennan.gov.
"What I'm trying to get across to the community is yes, nobody likes paying taxes, but when you look at our community and what we base our tax rate on, it's the rooftops. We don't have near the industry Robinson has, we don't have anything close to what city of Waco has, and so I thought it would be good to get it out there - to keep that in mind when you're talking about the community and tax rate. We are right in line, and I think doing very well for the tax dollars we are getting," Gerick said.
Gerick also compared the district's tax revenue per student with that of nine surrounding school districts.
"When I go further down the rabbit hole to look at, what is the tax revenue we are getting per student, that number is even lower. When you look at nine surrounding districts, we are number eight in our revenue per student," he said.
Gerick encouraged community members to visit with city council members and county commissioners to advocate for adding more industry to China Spring.
"The rooftops are not, in the long run, going to take care of the amount of students we are getting," Gerick said.
School Board President Jeff Bradburn agreed with Gerick's assessment.
"We're doing a whole lot more with our money versus what other school districts in our area are doing with their money, which happens to be more [money]," Bradburn said.
According to the property tax code section 26.05(b) China Spring ISD is required to complete a worksheet for determination of steps required for adoption of the tax rate.
A school district's tax rate is made up of two separate rates that support two separate funds: maintenance and operations (M&O) and interest and sinking (I&S). M&O taxes fund the general operations of the district such as salaries, electricity and utilities, supplies and general maintenance of facilities. I&S taxes pay voter-approved debt like bonds that pay for new school facilities and renovations of existing facilities.
While local school boards set local property tax rates, the Texas Legislature determines the amount of state funding to put into public education. As home values and local tax rates change, the amount of funding a school can receive does not change. As property values increase the percent of school district funding that is comprised of local tax dollars increases, but the amount of state funding a school may receive decreases.
For the 2026-27 school year, the M&O tax rate is $0.72690 per $100 valuation, and the I&S tax rate is $0.25502 per $100 valuation. The total tax rate is $0.98192 per $100 valuation. The 2026-27 tax rate did not increase from last year.
The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2026-27 school tax rate of $0.98192 per $100 valuation.
Deputy Superintendent of Operations Dr. Kevin Pitts reported to the Board that China Spring ISD is fully staffed in transportation, marking the first time in many years that the district has not experienced a shortage of bus drivers.
School Board Trustee Trey Oakley highlighted the significance of the update.
"...but I want to make sure our community heard that, because that's not an accident. You've been intentional about that, and we have teachers, educators, volunteers stepping up to do that. It's a big deal," Oakley said.
If you are interested in listening to the complete August School Board Meeting, you can access a recording of the meeting here. The next China Spring ISD School Board meeting is Monday, September 21, at 6:00 pm. Event details can be found here.