Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has stopped four school districts from using taxpayer money to promote tax-raising ballot measures, according to his office.
Paxton’s team sent cease-and-desist letters to Garland, Judson, Liberty Hill, and Northwest ISDs, alleging they violated state election laws that prohibit the use of public funds for political advocacy. All four districts removed the materials after receiving the warnings.
“School districts should focus on teaching children reading, writing, and arithmetic instead of unlawfully using taxpayer funds to meddle in elections that will raise taxes even higher,” Paxton said in a statement.
The attorney general characterized the districts as behaving more like lobbying firms than educational institutions.
“ISDs are educational entities, not lobbying firms. Illegal electioneering must come to an end, and any school district engaging in such conduct can expect to hear from my office,” he added.
Texas law specifically bars districts from spending state or local funds “to electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.” Investigators found the four ISDs allegedly used district resources to encourage voters to support tax increases for their budgets.
Following the investigations, Paxton’s office issued formal letters outlining potential violations and demanding corrective action. The letters — addressed individually to Garland, Judson, Liberty Hill, and Northwest ISDs — were made public by the attorney general’s office.
Each district subsequently removed the offending materials and agreed to comply with state election law moving forward, according to the release.
