San Angelo ISD Board President Urges "Yes" Vote for Prop A on Nov. 5

SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo ISD Board of Trustees President Dr. Taylor Kingman presented his final appeal for voters to approve Proposition A at the San Angelo Rotary Club on Friday.

Kingman clarified that while the wording on Prop A—the last item on the Nov. 5 ballot—indicates a tax increase, the school board’s approved budget keeps the district’s tax rate the same regardless.

“The State requires the wording to call it a tax increase, but it’s not really,” Kingman explained.

The current ISD tax rate combines two components: the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) rate and the Interest & Sinking (I&S) rate, which together total 81.2310 cents per $100 of property valuation. If Prop A is approved, the overall tax rate will remain at this rate.

According to Kingman, the ballot initiative asks for voter approval to raise the M&O rate by 3 cents, while the board has simultaneously reduced the I&S rate by 3 cents, keeping the overall tax rate unchanged. This rate reduction was possible because much of the district’s bond debt was refinanced at lower interest rates in 2020, before the recent spike in rates. Additionally, the recent increase in the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000 provides additional tax relief, allowing for the I&S reduction.

Kingman described the district’s budget as “very conservative.” Many large Texas school districts face budget deficits this year after the Texas House failed to pass additional public school funding in House Bill 1, which was stalled due to issues over Gov. Greg Abbott’s proposed private school voucher program. This left billions in anticipated ISD funding unapproved.

Since 2019, San Angelo ISD’s per-student basic allotment has been about $6,200, a figure that, if adjusted for inflation, should exceed $7,400. With 13,000 students, this amounts to a $15.6 million shortfall, roughly 12% of the district's M&O budget.

If Prop A passes, the district’s M&O revenue will grow by over $2 million through new property taxes, with the state contributing an additional $4 million through a 2-to-1 match. Most of the $6 million in total new revenue is earmarked for teacher salaries, including raising the starting salary for new teachers to $50,000. Meanwhile, the 3-cent reduction in the I&S rate equates to about $2 million in savings for property owners.

San Angelo LIVE! has a reputation for fiscal caution and endorses a YES vote on Prop A. The minimal individual tax savings if Prop A fails do not outweigh the potential risk to the quality of neighborhood schools, which rely on strong recruitment and retention of good teachers. High-quality public schools are crucial for sustaining property values for both homes and businesses.