Bryan ISD holds required public hearing, keeps 2025 tax rate at 0.9469

Bryan Independent School District held a public hearing on its proposed 2025 property tax rate on Sept. 22, with Norma Fripple, the district’s chief financial officer, outlining how the M&O (maintenance and operations) and I&S (interest and sinking) components determine the levy and recommending that the board leave the combined rate unchanged at 0.9469 per $100 of appraised value.

The hearing, required under Texas’s Truth in Taxation rules, is intended to give residents information about how the tax rate supports the district budget. “Student success is at the heart of our work,” Fripple said while walking through the rate components, the difference between state-set Tier 1 M&O and voter-approved Tier 2 enrichment pennies, and how I&S funds debt service.

Fripple said the district’s planning assumptions include flat enrollment, modest property-value growth, and the $40,000 homestead exemption slated for the November ballot. She noted the district’s recommendation to leave the rate at 0.9469—0.6769 for M&O and 0.27 for I&S—and warned that changes in certified values or future legislation could alter revenue projections.

During the hearing a member of the public, Roy Flores, urged the board to reject one bond proposition and suggested building a new high school on the West Side instead of rebuilding on the East Side. Flores argued that a West Side location would reduce transportation costs and improve attendance for West Side students.

Fripple also showed a sample tax bill illustrating that homestead exemptions reduce taxable value and that increases in an individual tax bill most often reflect rising property appraisals rather than a higher school tax rate. After the public comment period closed, the board took action later in the meeting to adopt the resolution setting the rate at 0.9469.

The presentation materials emphasized the distinction between state-determined components and voter-approved increases and included comparisons with nearby districts and an example household bill. The board took no action during the hearing itself; the formal adoption of the tax rate occurred during the regular meeting that followed.