Unofficial voting results show that voters rejected a 12-cent increase to Hays CISD property taxes at the polls Nov. 4. District officials say this will affect the services they are able to offer.

The gist

The proposed rate, $1.2746 per $100 valuation, was higher than last year’s rate but lower than 2022-23.The district has been using its fund balance to keep programs running since 2019, in the hopes that the Texas Legislature would increase per-student allotment to match inflation, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

The current fund balance is approximately $20 million, compared the the recommended balance of $65 million as previously reported by Community Impact.

An information sheet about the tax rate election stated that in the event that it didn’t pass, “the district would need to make significant cuts in staffing and programming to create a surplus budget to rebuild the Fund Balance.”

In addition, the sheet stated they expect to consider increasing class sizes, increasing fees or adding new fees.

What’s next

In an email to parents, Wright said that announcements about budget cuts will come in the spring, during budget planning for the 2026-27 school year.

“We obviously cannot spend money we do not have,” Wright said in the email. “I promise to do whatever is in my power to make these budget cuts as far away from our core mission as possible.”