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Public school propositions and VATREs come up short
Amidst the joy and celebration of a pro-public education statewide sweep in the Lone Star State, many Texas AFT-backed school funding propositions and bonds fell short of victory on Tuesday. Here are the results in the districts we were watching:
Proposition A would have provided over $100 million to pay educators and hedge against budget cuts: 32/68 against.
Propositions B-E allocated monies for security infrastructure, athletic facility repair, and pool improvements: all failed by about 35-40 points.
Proposition A would have provided $5.5 million to pay teachers and hedge against budget cuts: 48/52 against
Propositions B-D would have allocated over $600 million for school modernization and facilities improvements: B and C failed by about 7-9 points, D failing by 21.
Proposition A would have provided over $30 million to pay educators and hedge against budget cuts: 52/48 against.
Proposition A would have reallocated nearly $3 million for roof repairs and educator pay, not increasing the combined property tax rate: 43/57 against.
Proposition A would have provided $49 million for educator pay, class size reduction, and HVAC repair: 43/57 against.
Proposition A would have provided $21.5 million for educator pay and hedge against budget cuts: 45/55 against
Propositions B-D would have provided $886 million for security infrastructure, HVAC repair, and other fixes: all failed with margins between 5 and 17 points.
These outcomes are disappointing. As state inaction has caused budget squeezes, districts have had to turn to the voters for fixes. It's clear that in a cost-of-living crisis and a broader midterm election focused on affordability, voters looked to preserve their current tax rates, even as some of the propositions would not have raised taxes.
However, despite the losses, the changing of the guard in the Governor's mansion and in the Texas House will provide some opportunity for funding fixes at the root level, hopefully alleviating budget shortfalls that districts are facing. Voters and public education advocates alike expect the state to do its part to fund schools, and we are hopeful that incoming Governor Gina Hinojosa and incoming Lieutenant Governor Vikki Goodwin will make school funding a top legislative priority in 2027.
