Seguin ISD asks voters to approve Proposition A to add $2.3 million for operations

Seguin Independent School District announced that it will place Proposition A, a voter-approval tax ratification election, on the November ballot to seek voter approval of a maintenance-and-operations tax rate that the district says would produce $2.3 million in new revenue for the current fiscal year.

An unidentified district speaker described the measure as a way to “maximize the amount of state funding the district receives per dollar of local property tax collections” and said 57% of the new revenue would come from the Texas Education Agency in the form of state funding.

The district framed the measure as an effort to shore up teacher and staff pay, maintain student programs and address staffing challenges. Seguin ISD serves more than 7,200 students across 13 campuses and employs roughly 1,100 full-time staff; the announcement said the district had 22 open positions on the first day of school and that it currently needs 10 bus drivers. The district said the additional funds would be used to recruit and retain bus drivers, custodians and other support staff as well as to sustain and increase teacher and staff pay, manage discipline and maintain class sizes.

The announcement also highlighted student-program and special-education needs. Seguin High School was cited as having 2,074 students, with 82% enrolled in at least one career and technical education course. The speaker said special-education programs are increasingly difficult to staff because more students are being identified with needs such as dyslexia, ADHD and autism while funding for special education has not increased.

On tax mechanics, the statement explained that a school district tax rate is divided into maintenance and operations (M&O) for day-to-day costs and interest and sinking (I&S) for debt service and capital projects. The announcement restated that state law requires voter approval to raise the M&O rate above prescribed thresholds.

The statement cited two tax-rate figures: it said Seguin ISD’s 2023 tax rate was 1.1166 dollars and said the approved rate would be 1.1028 dollars, describing the latter as the lowest in more than 20 years and among the lowest in the Central Texas region. The district additionally said 87% of its budget is used for employee salaries and benefits and that the $2.3 million projection breaks down to about $1,000,000 coming from local collections and $1,300,000 from the state, according to the announcement.

The district explained that homeowners aged 65 and over and disabled homeowners who have applied for and receive a homestead exemption would not see an increase above their frozen dollar amount; veterans with a 100% disability rating and surviving spouses also would not see an increase, the announcement said. For homestead-exemption questions the transcript used the phrase “Guadalupe bridal district,” which appears to be a transcription error; residents are typically advised to contact the local appraisal district or county office that administers exemptions.

The announcement said the ballot label will read “Seguin Independent School District Proposition A.” Early voting was announced as Oct. 21 through Nov. 1, with Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The district directed voters to its Prop A website and social media for more information.

“That's why the district administration and board of trustees have called for a voter approval tax ratification election on the November ballot,” the unidentified speaker said in the recorded statement.

The district presentation in the transcript did not include vote minutes, a motion record, or the name of the person who delivered the statement; the announcement functions as informational material about the ballot measure and the district’s stated priorities for the funds if voters approve Proposition A.