Frequently Asked Questions

Manor ISD’s proposed bond package consists of two propositions: Prop A and Prop B. 

Prop A includes $391.5 million in funding to address facility use optimization, facilities and equipment upgrades, safety and security and new buses.

Prop B includes $8.5 million in funds for student and teacher technology devices.

The total amount of the proposed bond package is $400 million.

Wildhorse Elementary School was originally built to serve as an elementary campus. However, because housing development in the surrounding area slowed and student enrollment remained flat, there was not enough elementary enrollment to justify opening the campus for its intended purpose. Instead, the district repurposed the facility to meet current enrollment while preserving the school for future elementary use.

Wildhorse Elementary School currently houses Manor Excel Academy, Manor Alternative Placement and the Child Development Center. Based on current demographic projections, Manor ISD anticipates opening the campus as an elementary school between 2028 and 2030. When it opens, the campus will help relieve enrollment pressures at nearby schools, including Lagos Elementary, as growth continues in the area.

The building known as MEELC currently houses the district’s print shop and is used as a training facility for multiple law enforcement agencies.

Following the failed November 2025 bond election, Manor ISD brought back its Citizens Facility Advisory Committee in spring 2026 to take another look at the district's facility conditions and continue the community driven planning process.  The committee reviewed updated enrollment forecasts, demographic studies, facility condition assessments, and data reflecting changes from the 2024–25 to the 2025–26 school year.  Committee members examined district-wide repairs, building systems that date back to 1960, capacity at all schools, and opportunities to modernize learning environments.

Based on the committee’s work and recommendations, the Board of Trustees called for another bond election during its August 10, 2026, meeting.

Texas school districts do not receive additional state funding for renovating or building new schools. Instead, they must receive funds through school bond elections.

If voters approve a bond, the district sells bonds to investors to pay for eligible capital improvements, such as constructing or renovating schools, improving safety and security, updating technology, or purchasing buses and other long-term assets. 

Bond funds cannot be used for everyday operating expenses like salaries or utilities.

The district repays the bonds over time through the Interest and Sinking (I&S) tax rate. By law, the school board may only collect the amount of I&S tax needed to repay the bonds. If less is needed to repay the bonds, the district collects less.

The Board of Trustees calls for an election. If the bonds are approved by voters, the bonds are sold to investors. Proceeds are used for the approved capital projects as outlined in the bond proposal.

The tax rate is set in two parts: one to cover the operating costs (payroll, supplies, equipment, insurance, utilities, etc.) and the other to pay principal & interest due on the bonds each year.

Bond money may be used for new schools and facilities, expansion and renovations of existing facilities, furniture, technology, equipment, and new school buses.

Bond money can only be used for capital improvements and related costs. They may not be used for employee salaries, utilities, and other such operating expenses. The only exception to funding employee salaries are for positions directly related to the bond program.

No. By law, bond funds can only be used for the projects and purposes approved by voters in the bond election.

While minor adjustments may be necessary as projects move forward, any changes must remain consistent with the voter-approved bond proposition and must be approved by the Manor ISD Board of Trustees. 

This process helps ensure bond funds are spent in accordance with state law and the will of the voters.

If Bond 2026 is approved by voters, Manor ISD will establish a Bond Oversight Committee to review the implementation of bond projects and the use of bond funds. The committee will receive updates on project budgets, expenditures, timelines and progress.

Bond Oversight Committee meetings will be open to the public, allowing community members to hear project updates and follow the implementation of the bond program.

Bond-related expenditures and project updates will also be reported to the Manor ISD Board of Trustees, with items requiring board approval presented during public board meetings.

Bonds can be sold 45 to 60 days after the bond election is canvassed and when market conditions are optimized. Generally, once a bond issue passes, the architects begin the design work and the bid process. Construction itself will begin several months after the election.

If both propositions are approved, The tax rate will increase by .0385 cents.  Although the tax rate will increase, if voters choose to pass the Manor ISD bond, the average property owner in Manor ISD would not see an increase overall on their school district tax dollars due to property values decreasing from the previous year.

The tax impact associated with the $400 million bond for Manor ISD based on the average home value in the district, which is approximately $331,764, will be a decrease of $9.56 per month compared to the previous year if both propositions are approved.

The district can only control the tax rate that is set each year for homeowners in Manor ISD. Property values are controlled by the local tax appraisal district.

The estimated financial impact of Bond 2026 includes the $140,000 homestead exemption approved by state voters in November. Homeowners age 65 and older will now receive a $200,000 homestead exemption if they have filed for and received the Over-65 Exemption through their local tax assessor’s office and they make no major improvements to their homes. 

Since 2019, Texas state law requires all bond propositions for any school district to have the phrase “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE’ on all ballot language. Homeowners aged 65 and older who have filed for and received the Over 65 exemption will not see an increase over their frozen dollar amount, if there are no major improvements or additions to their home. Check your most recent Notice of Assessed Value Change to see if you will be impacted. 

There will not be an increase in taxes for senior citizens or disabled persons as a result of this proposed bond. School property taxes are frozen for senior citizens and disabled persons, and they will remain unaffected by the passage of the bond election, provided they have applied for and received the Over-65 Homestead Exemption with the appropriate appraisal district and have made no major improvements or additions to their residence. 

Recent legislation passed in November raised the Over-65 Homestead exemption to $200,000. As a result, current homeowners aged 65 and older who own a home with an assessed value of $200,000 or less will now see their school district taxes drop to zero if they have filed for and received the exemption. 

To have your school taxes frozen, you must file a homestead application with the appropriate appraisal district and be granted the Over-65 exemption. To check your exemption status and current school district tax amount, visit the Travis County Appraisal District property search at traviscad.org/propertysearch, or call 512-834-9317.

Veterans who have a 100% disability rating or surviving spouses of a member of the U.S. armed services killed in the line of duty would not see an increase in taxes. 

Tax Code Section 11.131 entitles a disabled veteran awarded 100 percent disability compensation due to a service-connected disability and a rating of 100 percent disabled or of individual unemployability to a total property tax exemption on the disabled veteran's residence homestead.

Tax Code Section 11.133 entitles a surviving spouse of a member of the U.S. armed services killed or fatally injured in the line of duty to a total property tax exemption on his or her residence homestead if the surviving spouse has not remarried since the death of the armed services member.

By law, the role of any school district during a bond election is to share factual information with the voters so the community may make an informed choice as to whether they wish to support or oppose a bond proposition. The District should also be responsive to citizens’ questions related to the bond issue and to ensure voters know when and where they have an opportunity to vote.

If the bond package does not pass, the district may have to explore other options to address its facilities, including using the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget for renovations. The M&O budget funds expenses such as teacher salaries and student programs. 

If approved by voters, bonds are paid from a dedicated funding source, which is different from the M&O fund used for teacher salaries and student programs.