November 7, 2023 Lewisville ISD Special Election and a Voter Approval Tax Rate Ratification Election
The game in school funding of facilities is to issue long term bonds to fund capital projects. The
Lewisville ISD has been doing this successfully for many years. When the bonds pay off, the Interest and Sinking Fund Tax Rate (I&S) could be reduced. But this is usually the time to issue more bonds and buy more facilities since the effect on the tax rate already in place is not significant.
The bond election will not increase the Interest & Sinking (I&S) tax rate. Lewisville ISD is able to issue
these bonds without increasing the school district tax rate. If passed, the total LISD tax rate will be 10.6 cents lower than it is now in 2023.
Election to Approve Tax Rate
If the governing body of a taxing unit adopts a tax rate that exceeds the voter-approval tax rate, in most cases it must automatically hold an election for voters to approve the tax increase. 1 For school districts, this is called a tax rate ratification election or TRE. 2 An election permits voting for or against the tax-rate proposition. If the majority of votes are cast in opposition to the adopted tax rate, the election limits the taxing unit's tax rate for the current year to the voter-approval tax rate. 3 – TX Comptroller Tex. Tax Code § 26.07(b)
This VATRE election is called a Tier Two Copper Pennies election requiring voter approval. Texas Tax
Code, §§ 26.042(e), (f) and (g). The State Legislature approved a maximum increase in the tax rates
from year to year, beyond which, the school district needs specific voter approval.
Lewisville Independent School District Proposition A - "Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of
$1.1301 per $100 valuation in Lewisville Independent School District for the current year, a rate
that will result in an increase of -3.6 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the
district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $-
14,676,410." Because the state has announced it will compress LISD’s Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Tier 1 tax rate to the lowest possible amount at $0.6192 (before the Interest and Sinking Fund Tax Rate), the total LISD tax rate (M&O and I&S) will be 11.7% or 10.6 cents less than it was this year at $1.12368/$100 (2022 tax rate). Restoring a higher tax rate requires a Tax Rate Ratification Election. Since the LISD is The Texas Education Agency is compressing school M&O Tax rates. State compression compares the extent to which estimated statewide property value growth (set by the General Appropriations Act at 4.43 percent for TY 2023) exceeds 2.5 percent to determine the MCR for TY 2023, calculated using the formula below. Additionally, in accordance with Texas Education Code, §48.2552(c), after accounting for additional state revenue determined under TEC, §48.2552(b), the maximum state compression rate for TY 2023 will be reduced by an additional 8.25 pennies.
School Districts are getting additional funding from the State due to the large Budget surplus. The TEA is trying to prevent a windfall. Comparison of Tax Rates: 2022 Tax Rate - $1.12368/$100. The Tax Rate approved by this measure: $1.1301/$100 which is higher than 2022. If this measure is not passed, the 2023 Tax Rate will be $1.021768/$100 Bond Election:
2. General Proposition
Bond Prop B: $960,577,000
Maintenance, repairs and renovations to LISD campuses and facilities, including safety and
security equipment and technology, replacement of the transportation center and the purchase of
school buses.
Comments: In Prop B, I am confused about the purchase of school buses. The LISD has always
contracted with third parties for their school buses in the past. This is general repairs, maintenance and renovation which the LISD has always borrowed bond money to fund.
3. Instructional Technology Equipment
Bond Prop C: $69,600,000 Update and purchase instructional technology equipment.
Comments: Prop C addresses technology equipment for instruction. Every student is provided with an
IPad from Apple because instruction is done online. The LISD is trying to stay current with technology
even though they don’t have a working website for their bond issue today.
4. Athletics and Recreation Facilities
Bond Prop D: $31,376,000 Maintenance, repairs and renovations at athletics facilities consisting of locker rooms and field houses; tennis courts; baseball/softball facilities; and concession areas.
5. Natatorium (Eastside Aquatics Center and Westside Aquatics Center)
Bond Prop E: $16,250,000 Maintenance, repairs and renovations at the Eastside Aquatic Center and Westside Aquatic Center.
6. Stadiums
Bond Prop F: $19,999,000
Maintenance, repairs and renovations to stadiums at Hebron High School, Flower Mound High
School, The Colony High School, Marcus High School and Lewisville High School.
7. Indoor Multipurpose Athletic Centers
Bond Prop G: $131,818,000
Construction, improvements and/or renovations to multipurpose indoor athletics facilities at
Hebron High School, Flower Mound High School, The Colony High School, Marcus High
School and Lewisville High School.
Comments: How you look at these bond issues depends on what you believe the priorities of public
schools are. If athletics are included, then Prop D, E, F, and G should be approved. The LISD does a good job of spreading the funds around to all the geographies in a big district.
Many of LISD’s facilities were first constructed over 20 years ago. I will also note that the electronic
information on the LISD website at lisdbond.com and lisdbond.com/projects could not be accessed the
websites appeared to be down today. If you follow my logic, I recommend voting for all of the LISD proposals. A further note about the LISD: The Board of Trustees recently “knuckled under” to a predatory law firm named Bickel and Brewer who filed a Federal voting rights lawsuit against the District. The Voting Rights Act has been modified by the US Supreme Court but the Board of Trustees is ill-equipped to deal with this type of lawsuit. The law firm, Bickel and Brewer is a “woke” liberal law firm that wants to make our society into their version of a progressive Nirvana. Bickel and Brewer filed this same suit against the CFBISD and the City of Farmers Branch who also settled. Perhaps we can find trustees that will stand up to this nonsense. Bickel and Brewer doesn’t care if they “bleed out” public funds fighting voter rights lawsuits. Because of this settlement, voters will be organized into single-member districts for the next election and future elections for LISD Board members.