College Station Independent School District

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Frequently-Asked Questions

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What is a VATRE?


A voter-approved tax ratification election (VATRE) allows a school district to utilize additional pennies on its tax rate in order to generate additional revenue.  As the name indicates, this must be approved by voters within the school district.



How will money generated from the VATRE be used?


The short answer is to be more competitive with teacher and staff pay.  More than 85% of CSISD’s maintenance and operations budget goes to compensation for teachers and staff. 


Competitive pay is one way to ensure we retain and recruit exceptional staff to maintain and improve the high-standards and expectations of our community.


This additional increase will allow CSISD to give all employees (except administrators) an additional four percent increase in pay.  Administrators would receive an additional two percent increase.  These additional pay increases would make CSISD teacher salaries more in line with our comparable districts and allow the district to operate within a balanced budget.


Currently, all CSISD employees have been given a raise of two percent for the 2022-23 school year.  If the VATRE is passed by voters, all CSISD employees (except administrators) will receive a total raise of six percent.  Administrators would receive a total raise of four percent.



How do teacher salaries in CSISD compare to other districts?


CSISD teacher salaries were eight percent lower than the median teacher salaries of comparable districts for the 2021-22 (last year) school year. A six percent raise and increasing the starting salary for teachers with zero years of experience to $49,600 will move CSISD teacher pay from 92% of what comparable districts are paying to 97%.


2021-2022 CSISD Teacher Salaries versus Comparable Districts

CSISD Pay Chart graphic

 

How much additional revenue would be generated if voters approve the VATRE?


The passage of the VATRE would allow CSISD to keep three of 6.7 cents from the tax rate compression, increasing revenue by an additional $5.015 million.  $3.3 million of that additional revenue would be from local property taxes, which would trigger the state contributing an additional $1.715 million.

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What will I see on the ballot when I vote?

Be sure to look for the College Station ISD Proposition at the very end of your November 2022 ballot.

The ballot language will be as follows:

"COLLEGE STATION INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT Proposition A – Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $ 1.1781 per $100 valuation in College Station Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 6.07% percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $6,519,285."

The amount of $6,519,285  in the ballot language represents the total projected increase in local property tax revenue with the VATRE relative to the prior fiscal year (2021-22).  


 

Will my tax rate go up if I vote for the VATRE?

In this particular situation, your tax rate will actually be lower than it was in 2021.  Because of state-mandated tax-rate compression to compensate for increased property values, the CSISD tax rate is being lowered by 6.7 cents.  Approval of the VATRE would allow the district to keep three of those pennies in its tax rate, lower the tax rate 3.7 cents instead of 6.7 cents, and use the additional revenue for larger raises for teachers and staff.

Three cents on the property tax bill of a homeowner whose property is valued at $300,000 equates to $90 per year, or $7.50 per month.

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How will this impact my taxes if I am 65 or older?

Citizens 65 and older who have applied for and received the over 65 exemption will see no increase in their taxes as a result of approval of the VATRE.

The homestead tax ceiling is a limit on the amount of school taxes you pay. When you qualify for an Over 65 or Disabled Person homestead exemption, the school taxes on your house will not increase. The ceiling freezes your school taxes at the amount you pay in the year that you qualify for the exemption.

The school taxes on your house may go below the ceiling, but not above.


 

 

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