FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – The Fort Bend Independent School District Board of Trustees decided on Monday to call for a $35 million tax rate election to increase pay for teachers and staff.
The tax rate election is also called the Voter Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) and will be held on Nov. 7. The district’s tax rate would decrease even with the tax election. The current rate is $1.1346 and it would decrease to 98.9 cents, which would be the lowest tax rate the school district has seen, according to FBISD.
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Funds from the May bond election cannot be used to pay teachers or other staff.
FBISD said they are hoping to do the following with the VATRE:
- Offer $2,500 teacher raises and create a differentiated teacher step scale to offer up to $7,000 raises for those who have worked 25 years or more
- Increase bus driver and teacher aide pay by $1.50 per hour
- Ensure there are security officers at all elementary campuses
The board has scheduled a special public meeting on Aug. 25 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the administration building to decide on how they would like to use the funds.
The VATRE would not impact property taxes for those who are older than 65 or have disability exemptions. The exception to this is if people made an addition to their home or added a pool.
“Aside from the VATRE, a property tax bill impact of $2,677 per year for the district’s average home valued at $370,630 includes savings for property owners that are likely on the way due to a measure signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbot. The measure requires, and is expected to receive, voter approval in November. The measure deducts $100,000 off property values and further compresses school district tax rates, resulting in annual tax bill savings of $1,149 a year for the average FBISD homeowner. A successful VATRE in the district would require about $108 of the $1,149 annual savings – or about $9 per month,” FBISD said.
FBISD has cut their budget by more than $40 million over the past two years.