Spring ISD hosts Prop A Q&A Wednesday on Ella Blvd.

Spring ISD will hold an in-person Q&A session on Proposition A on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Community Engagement Center, 17125 Ella Blvd.

The session is one of several the district has organized ahead of the Prop A vote, a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) that would raise the district's maintenance and operations tax rate by 2 cents. The district held a virtual Zoom Q&A on Oct. 7 and an earlier in-person session at Carl Wunsche Sr. High School on Sept. 22.

Prop A would set the total tax rate at $1.1569 per $100 of property value, up from $1.1369. According to the district's official Prop A website, the increase would cost the average Spring ISD homeowner with a homestead exemption about $22 per year. Homeowners 65 or older, or those with a disability homestead exemption, are generally protected by a tax ceiling and would not see an increase.

The measure would generate an estimated $15.5 million for the district: $5.6 million in additional local revenue and $9.9 million in state funding unlocked by the local investment. That money would go toward daily operations, including teacher and staff pay, student programs, transportation and utilities. It would not fund construction or the district's bond program.

Board Trustee Winford Adams Jr. highlighted that distinction at the Aug. 19 board meeting, when trustees voted unanimously to place Prop A on the ballot. Adams said at the time, "One observation from the last time we did this is that there seemed to be some confusion in our community … We had just done a bond, and people asked why we couldn't use those funds to give raises to employees."

Spring ISD voters rejected a similar tax rate increase in 2024, and the district closed two schools last year, the Houston Chronicle reported. As of April, the district was facing an expected $9 million deficit for the current school year.

If Prop A fails, the district's total tax rate would drop to $1.1069 per $100 because 5 cents in "disaster pennies" previously included in the M&O rate would expire. The district would lose access to the $15.5 million in additional funding.

Early voting runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30 at all Harris County voting locations. Election Day is Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.