(Texas Scorecard) – A new measure proposed in the Texas Senate would establish a database for school district bonds, taxes, and bond-related projects.
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) filed Senate Bill 843 last week. The measure amends the state’s Education Code to direct the Texas Education Agency to create a database that includes several critical points of information about bonds.
The database would include the language of the ballot proposition, the projected interest and sinking (I&S) fund tax rate, proposed or issued maintenance and operations (M&O) taxes, and a list of the projects to be funded using the bond, among other information.
According to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, “Most property taxes (80%) are collected from taxpayers for the maintenance and operations (M&O) of a local government’s day-to-day expenses. Of these M&O taxes, the school district portion is the largest.”
The remaining portion of property taxes, which school districts delineate as I&S, are collected to pay down their local debt.
“Senate Bill 843 will provide much-needed transparency and accountability, ensuring all stakeholders can access clear and accessible information about a school district’s financial decisions regarding voter-approved debt,” Kolkhorst told Texas Scorecard. “I am proud to author this important bill, which will provide precise information about school bonds in one easy-access database to reinforce that the dollars are being spent to the betterment of Texas students.”
Kolkhorst’s proposal requires the TEA to create reports for each school district disaggregated by geographical area, with a function to accommodate updates or corrections to the information.
School districts would be responsible for collecting and delivering information on their bond proposals to the TEA upon request. The agency is also permitted to contract with a third party to obtain this information in a timely manner.
The proposal comes amid concerns from grassroots activists who say current Texas bond elections are often missing information or incorporate disinformation.
In Tatum Independent School District’s bond elections this past November, taxpayer advocates criticized the election’s validity over inaccurate or misleading information, including the tax impact of the vote.
“This is TRUE suppression, the real thing,” said Morgan Collier, a poll watcher on Election Day.