(Seguin) — Seguin ISD voters looking for more information about Proposition A can hear district officials explain the proposal in the latest KWED Saturday Topic podcast, available at SeguinToday.com.
Superintendent Dr. Jack Lee and Chief Financial Officer Liz Banks joined the program over the weekend to discuss the Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election, or VATRE, on the November 3 ballot.
Lee says the proposal would keep the district’s overall tax rate the same while generating approximately $2.5 million in additional funding through local revenue and state matching funds. He says that money would primarily support classroom teachers and help cover other needs, including unfunded state mandates.
Banks says the proposal is different from a school bond election. It would shift two cents from the district’s debt service tax rate to its maintenance and operations rate, which pays for day-to-day expenses. She says the district would still have enough money to make its existing debt payments.
Banks also addressed why announcements of increased state education spending do not always translate into more money for school operations. She says some of that funding replaces revenue lost through property tax relief, while the district continues to face rising costs.
For a fuller explanation of how the proposal works and what it would mean for Seguin ISD, listen to the entire Saturday Topic conversation with Lee and Banks at SeguinToday.com.