Spring ISD is telling homeowners 65 and older that Proposition A will not increase their school property taxes, even though the measure would raise the district's tax rate by 2 cents.

The district posted on X Tuesday, Oct. 13, six days before early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19. Under Texas law, homeowners who are 65 or older and have filed a homestead exemption have their school taxes frozen at the amount they owed the year they qualified. A rate increase does not push them above that ceiling.


Spring ISD stated that homeowners who have filed their exemption and have not made significant home improvements will see no change. The district also noted that homeowners with a disability homestead exemption receive the same protection.

Proposition A is a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE, that the Spring ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to place on the Nov. 3 ballot at its Aug. 19 meeting. If approved, the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax rate would rise from $1.1369 to $1.1569 per $100 of property value.

For a $250,000 home with a homestead exemption, the increase works out to about $55 per year, or less than $5 per month. The district has said the revenue would fund day-to-day operations, including teacher and staff pay, student programs, transportation and utilities. It would not fund construction or the bond program.

Spring ISD estimates Prop A would generate $5.6 million in additional local M&O revenue and unlock roughly $9.9 million in state funding, for a combined $15.5 million.

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

Adams explained that bond funds pay for capital projects, while employee raises come from the maintenance and operations budget.

The district has cited declining enrollment, rising costs and state funding shortfalls as reasons for the measure. Spring ISD is one of several Harris County districts with a VATRE on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to ABC13. Cy-Fair, Channelview, Huffman and La Porte ISDs also have tax-rate measures before voters.

Texas voters approved Proposition 11 in November 2025, raising the over-65 school district exemption from $10,000 to $60,000. Combined with the standard $140,000 homestead exemption, qualifying seniors now receive $200,000 in total school district exemptions, according to property tax research firm Ownwell.

To qualify for the over-65 tax freeze, homeowners must file Form 50-114 with their county appraisal district, according to Texas Law Help. The exemption does not apply automatically.

Early voting runs Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.