Marble Falls ISD Board of Trustees Calls for School Funding Election to Protect Class Sizes and Student Programs

In a proactive effort to prevent increasing class sizes and cutting essential student programs, the Marble Falls ISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to call a School Funding Election for November 5 at Monday night’s regular Board meeting. This election is critical to ensuring that the district can continue to provide students with the personalized attention and robust educational experiences they deserve.

Marble Falls ISD, like many districts across the state, is being negatively impacted by a significant lack of state funding. This funding shortfall has forced the District to adopt deficit budgets. This issue stems from the basic allotment per student remaining unchanged since 2019, even as inflation surged to its highest levels in 40 years.

If approved, the Marble Falls ISD School Funding Election would generate approximately $2.2 million to support critical needs such as recruiting and retaining staff, maintaining current class sizes, and continuing student activities and programs. The School Funding Election includes a 2.67-cent tax increase to the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax rate. Unlike past funding structures, where portions of tax revenue might have been sent back to the state to redistribute to other school districts, every dollar of the tax revenue generated through this election will stay right here in Marble Falls ISD, directly impacting local students and schools.

The M&O rate provides funding for school district operations, including instruction, staff, transportation, maintenance, and daily operating expenses. In contrast, the Interest & Sinking (I&S) fund, which represents the other portion of the district’s annual budget, is financed through bonds. It’s important to note that bond funds from the I&S budget cannot be used for operational costs such as teacher raises, rising utilities, increasing insurance costs, or other day-to-day expenses.

The additional $2.2 million generated by the School Funding Election will maintain and enhance the quality of education in Marble Falls ISD. Specifically, these funds will be allocated to recruiting and retaining qualified staff, maintaining current class sizes, and continuing student programs and activities at their current levels. Without voter approval of the School Funding Election, Marble Falls ISD will face significant budget cuts, which could affect personnel and student programs. These cuts would be necessary to achieve a balanced budget.

“Our Marble Falls ISD administration has worked diligently on district-wide efficiencies while maintaining the high expectations of educational experiences for our students,” Marble Falls ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway said. “The District encourages our community to become informed about the School Funding Election and vote.”

If voters approve Proposition A on November 5, the total school district tax rate will be 91.22 cents per $100 property valuation, which would increase the monthly tax bill on a median-value home (valued at $400,000) by $8.90. The district’s current maintenance tax rate is 67.25 cents, and the current debt service rate is 21.53 cents, resulting in a total tax rate of 88.78 cents.

Early voting will be held from October 21 to November 1, and election day will be on Tuesday, November 5. The deadline to register to vote is October 5. The Marble Falls ISD School Funding Election, also known as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election, will be available on ballots for all voters living in the Marble Falls ISD.

Marble Falls ISD will be sharing informational presentations with staff and the community. The District will soon provide a schedule of presentations for families and community members. Additional details will be available on our Marble Falls ISD social media accounts and at MarbleFallsISD.org.