Frequently Asked Questions

Prop A, also known as a VATRE,  is a special election called by a school district’s Board of Trustees, asking voters to approve an increase above the current Maintenance and Operations tax rate. If approved, Prop A would allow Manor ISD to increase staff salaries, hire additional police officers, hire additional mental health support staff and purchase the needed equipment and resources to augment safety, security and mental health services.

Prop A, would inject an estimated $4.8 million additional dollars into the District’s operating fund. These funds would be used to provide an additional 2% general pay increase for all staff members on top of the 1% guaranteed salary increases approved by the Board in May. If approved, the total general salary increase would be 3% of the midpoint for employees for the 2024-2025 school year. 

In addition to staff salary increases, the funds from Prop A would be used to provide salaries for additional school police officers and mental health staff to support students and staff district-wide. Funds would also be provided to purchase the necessary equipment and resources to support safety, security and mental health.

If the three-cent increase passes, the district’s property tax rate will go down due to state-approved homeowner tax reductions, a decrease in the I & S tax rate and homestead allowance increases. If approved,  the tax rate would be $1.0814 per taxable $100 for the 2024-2025 school year, which is lower than the district's $1.0861 tax rate for 2023-2024. 

If approved, a homeowner of an average value home in Manor ($233,192) would see about a $10 decrease in Manor ISD property taxes per year

To explain it as simply as possible, school district property taxes are broken up into two pieces. One is called the Maintenance & Operations (M&O), which is used to pay salaries and fund operations, and the other is called Interest & Sinking, which is used to pay debt. The increase in the tax rate for Maintenance & Operations under Prop A would be made in conjunction with an almost 2.5 cent reduction in the Interest & Sinking tax rate, which is used to pay debt. These factors, the district’s work to responsibly pay debt ahead of schedule and the state lowering the maximum compressed tax rate during its 88th legislature session last year would result in a tax rate that is .0047 cents lower than last year’s rate.

Typically, property taxes for citizens 65 years or older—or those who are disabled—are not affected by a rate increase. As Manor ISD’s tax rate would decrease if Prop A is approved, the tax rate for homeowners who are over 65 or disabled would also go down if the appropriate homestead exemptions are filed with the County Appraisal District.

Both homeowners and businesses will have the same tax rate. If Prop A is approved, it would result in a lower tax rate for both homeowners and businesses.

The Texas Tax Code provides mandatory ballot language for a VATRE. The statutorily required ballot language assumes that a VATRE will increase the amount of maintenance and operations tax revenue in this year as compared to last year. Under this statute, the District is not permitted to modify this ballot language to state that its overall tax rate will be decreasing from last year.

Locally, districts like Round Rock ISD ISD, Liberty Hill ISD, Leander ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Lake Travis ISD, and Eanes ISD have passed a Prop A or VATRE election in the past seven years to help provide additional funds and increase staff salaries.

Austin ISD has called for a VATRE to be voted on by their community in November. 

Manor ISD’s tax rate election seeks to add “Golden Pennies” to the Maintenance & Operations tax rate. If approved, it would result in a lower overall  tax rate than last year for those zoned for Manor ISD and generate revenue that is not  subject to recapture by the state of Texas. 

Austin ISD’s tax rate election would seek to add both “Golden Pennies” and “Copper Pennies” to their Maintenance & Operations tax rate. If approved,  it would result in a higher overall tax rate than last year for those zoned for Austin ISD and generate revenue that would be subject to recapture by the state of Texas.

If your home is zoned to attend Manor ISD schools, you are zoned to vote in the Manor ISD tax rate election. View Manor ISD’s boundaries.

Bond Elections and VATREs are held for different reasons and affect different aspects of a school district's budget.

Bond Elections:

• Are for building new schools.
• Affect the school district's Interest & Sinking budget.
• Cannot be used for staff pay or other day-to-day operating expenses.
• Adds to a school district's debt.

VATRES:

• Are for adjusting a school district's tax rate.
• Affect the school district's Maintenance & Operations budget.
• VATRE funds CAN be used for staff pay and day-to-day operating expenses.
• Does not add to a school district's debt.

BOND vs. VATRE Infographic

If passed, Manor ISD’s starting teacher salary would be $57,481, which would be the second highest in the area as of early August.

Yes, if approved, staff like food service workers, custodians and bus drivers would receive a total salary increase of 3% of the midpoint.

If Prop A is rejected by voters, staff would not receive the additional salary increase and the budget deficit would increase to $20.8 million.

Even with $7.2 million in reductions made during the past year and a half, district leadership has judged that there is not enough within the operations budget, which is dedicated to staff salaries and operational cost, to provide the additional salary increases to staff. This is due to many reasons, including the expiration of federal funded programs, the Texas legislature’s decision not to increase the basic allotment amount per student, state mandates the District will have to allocate funds to meet, and rising operating costs due to inflation. In addition, Manor ISD is expected to give back nearly $1.7 million dollars back to the state as part of recapture this year, which takes funds from districts deemed “property rich” for redistribution.

Two tax rates combine to make a school tax rate. The first tax rate is the maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate. Manor ISD’s currently proposed M&O tax rate for 2024-2025 is $0.7113 and is used to fund day-to-day operations such as payroll costs, utilities, and maintenance of schools and facilities. Approximately 94% of the district’s Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax revenue is dedicated to funding staff salaries. 

The second part is the debt service tax rate for 2024-2025, currently proposed to be $0.3701. It may only be used to pay for district bonds that fund construction and one-time purchases such as technology, buses and equipment with a useful life of more than one year. The bonds that are funded by the debt service tax rate are much like the mortgage on a home, but in Manor ISD have historically been  paid back more quickly to reduce interest costs. 

The two rates combined make up the current Manor ISD tax rate of $1.0814 per taxable $100 for the 2024-2025 school year, which is the lowest tax rate the district has had since 2015.

An important note is that the  $1.0814 tax rate for 2024-2025 depends on Prop A’s approval, which would be lower than the district’s  $1.0861 tax rate for 2023-2024.

A school district M&O budget (commonly called the operating budget) is composed mostly of personnel. Approximately 94% of Manor ISD’s M&O revenue is spent on teacher and employee salaries. It is also used to cover utilities and maintenance of schools and facilities.

No.  Some tax revenues raised in Manor ISD are sent to the state.  Increases in home values do cause a homeowner’s school taxes to rise, but the increases do not always provide an ongoing benefit to the district’s operating budget. It can actually have the opposite effect. As Manor ISD collects more money from local taxpayers due to increased property values, state operating funding for Manor ISD decreases. In fact, state officials have often used the benefit of additional local tax dollars generated in school districts like Manor ISD to fund other parts of the state budget unrelated to public education. This is often referred to at the state level as “recapture” or Robin Hood. This year alone, Manor ISD is estimated to send back nearly $1.7 million to the state of Texas as part of recapture.

The funds generated through Prop A would not be subject to recapture. 

The district currently has an “A” or Superior Rating, the highest possible, from the Texas Education Agency’s Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas. The rating system assesses the quality of financial management and is conducted annually by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

2024 - $1.0814 (Pending Prop A/VATRE Approval) 

2023 - $1.0861  

2022 - $1.3520  

2021 - $1.3520  

2020 - $1.442672 

2019 - $1.47 

2018 - $1.515 

2017 - $1.515 

2016 - $1.515 

2015 - $1.515

In the last year, Manor ISD has made approximately $7.2 million in budget cuts and continues to review non-campus positions before filling them. 

Yes, for the 2024-2025 school year, Manor ISD is projected to use $13 to $15 million of its fund balance to offset the operating shortfalls.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th. Early voting is Oct 21 - Nov. 1 The last day to register to vote in the election is Monday, Oct. 7. For more information on voter registration, visit the state website.