Marble Falls ISD Board of Trustees calls for school funding election

MARBLE FALLS, Texas (KXAN) -- The Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees on Monday called for a school funding election to be added to the November ballot.

A release from Marble Falls ISD said trustees, during Monday night’s regular Board meeting, unanimously voted to call a School Funding Election for November 5 in a "proactive effort to prevent increasing class sizes and cutting essential student programs."

The district in the release said the election is "critical" for the district and cited a lack of state funding as the reason for needing to call for the election.

"Marble Falls ISD, like many districts across the state, is being negatively impacted by a significant lack of state funding," the release said in part. "This funding shortfall has forced the District to adopt deficit budgets. This issue stems from the basic allotment per student remaining unchanged since 2019, even as inflation surged to its highest levels in 40 years."

The district said if approved, the Marble Falls ISD School Funding Election would generate approximately $2.2 million to support needs like recruiting and retaining staff, maintaining current class sizes, and continuing student activities and programs.

The School Funding Election includes a 2.67-cent tax increase to the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax rate, according to the district. The M&O rate provides funding for school district operations, including instruction, staff, transportation, maintenance, and daily operating expenses.

The district noted there is a distinct difference between the M&O rate and the Interest & Sinking (I&S) fund, which is the portion of the district's annual budget that is financed through bonds. Bond funds from the I&S budget cannot be used for operational costs such as teacher raises, rising utilities, increasing insurance costs, or other day-to-day expenses, the district said.

Additionally, Marble Falls said in the release that unlike past funding structures, where portions of tax revenue might have been sent back to the state to redistribute to other school districts, every dollar of the tax revenue generated through this election will stay in Marble Falls ISD, directly impacting local students and schools.

The school district said without the voter approval of the School Funding Election, Marble Falls ISD could face "significant budget cuts," which could affect personnel and student programs. The cuts would be necessary to achieve a balanced budget without the funding election, the district said.

If voters approve Proposition A on November 5, the total school district tax rate will be 91.22 cents per $100 property valuation, which would increase the monthly tax bill on a median-value home (valued at $400,000) by $8.90, according to MFISD. The district’s current maintenance tax rate is 67.25 cents, and the current debt service rate is 21.53 cents, resulting in a total tax rate of 88.78 cents.

“Our Marble Falls ISD administration has worked diligently on district-wide efficiencies while maintaining the high expectations of educational experiences for our students,” Marble Falls ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway said. “The District encourages our community to become informed about the School Funding Election and vote.”

The school district said it will be sharing informational presentations with staff and the community and will soon provide a schedule of presentations for families and community members. More details will also be available on Marble Falls ISD social media accounts and on the district's website.

Early voting will be held from October 21 to November 1, and election day will be on Tuesday,
November 5.

The Marble Falls ISD School Funding Election, also known as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election, will be available on ballots for all voters living in the Marble Falls ISD.