Ahead of the Aug. 17 deadline for school districts to call a voter-approval tax rate election, Georgetown ISD released the results of a community survey measuring support for a potential tax increase.
The results, presented during GISD’s July 28 board meeting, show support for a VATRE as the district seeks to provide educators with a pay raise.
“Voters recognize that GISD is one of the few Central Texas districts maintaining a balanced budget, and calling for a [VATRE] protects financial health and compensates teachers and staff,” said Melinda Brasher, GISD’s executive director of community engagement and communications.
By the numbers
The survey shows initial support for a 9-cent tax maintenance and operations rate increase measured at 48%. However, Brasher said that after being informed throughout the survey, support rose to 58%.
“Our community deeply values quality educators and understands that competitive pay is necessary to compete with neighboring districts,” Brasher said. “Voters appreciate that GISD maintains one of the lowest tax rates in the region, and even with a 9-cent tax rate increase ... our tax rate would still remain among the lowest in the area.”
Brasher also said 68% of respondents said they did not believe the district had enough funding for day-to-day operations.
The survey was conducted in late June by an independent, third-party vendor that contacted 401 participants through phone calls and texts, Brasher said.
More details
While GISD adopted a balanced budget in June, the district is considering a VATRE to generate revenue to provide district employees with pay raises.
The district is proposing a 6-cent combined tax increase from $1.0506 to $1.1106, which it says will cost the median homeowner with a homestead exemption about $8 more in property taxes annually.
The proposed tax rate will cut GISD’s interest and sinking rate—which pays bond debt—by 3 cents from $0.3575 to $0.3275 per $100 valuation. Meanwhile, the maintenance and operations tax—which pays for daily operations—would increase by 9 cents from $0.6931 to $0.7831 per $100 valuation.
Overall, this proposed increase would raise $8.4 million in additional revenue for GISD, which the district says it plans on using to increase staff compensation. District officials said the tax increase will be used to provide teachers with a 3%-4% pay raise while all other staff will receive a 2% pay increase.
“Our teachers have done the work of seeing academic outcomes improve,” GISD Superintendent Devin Padavil said. “It's really tough to be in a situation where we can maintain a balanced budget, but we have no more room to increase compensation for teachers and staff.”
The VATRE could help give teachers a raise of $2,000 or more, depending on their level of experience, district officials said.
Brasher said the calculations were done using certified values the county provided earlier this month. The median appraised home in Georgetown is valued at $444,465 in 2026, a slight dip from the 2025 median valuation of $461,094, according to district documents. With a homestead exemption, the district says the proposed VATRE would amount to an annual property tax bill of $3,381.
Since property values have fallen in Georgetown, the proposed VATRE will result in a smaller increase to a homeowner's annual tax bill than it would have otherwise.
“Georgetown ISD has benefited from the support of our retirement communities,” Brasher said. “Community members value that citizens age 65 and over with a homestead exemption will see no increase in their tax bill. Their taxes remain completely frozen.”
Measuring the impact
Although ballot language would state that the increase to the district’s M&O tax revenue raises an additional $19.4 million, Brasher said this language does not account for recapture. As a recapture district, a portion of GISD’s taxes are sent back to the state. As a result, the VATRE will result in a net yield of $8.4 million for the district itself, according to GISD documents.
“State funding formulas have not kept the pace with inflation, soaring operational costs, or regional wage competition,” Brasher said. “We essentially have hit a wall where we don't have any more funds, and any further cuts internally would likely impact the student experience.”
How we got here
The district has taken several steps to limit spending over the past years. The opening of two new schools—Jessie Daniel Ames Elementary School and S.C. Marshall Middle School—were delayed by a year due to fiscal concerns.
“We've eliminated over $8 million of expenditures over the last two years,” Padavil said. “At this point, we're starting to really change what kids experience in school by what else we have to cut. That, through those cuts, would be the only way to increase pay for teachers and staff.”
While this potential tax increase is being explored by the board, the district has yet to officially call for a VATRE. The deadline to do so falls on the board’s last meeting ahead of the school year Aug. 17.
Neighboring districts are also exploring ways to meet increasing costs. Although Leander ISD has not decided on calling a VATRE or November bond, the district adopted a budget with $9.9 million shortfall. After passing a budget with a $15.6 million shortfall, Pflugerville ISD is considering millions of dollars of cuts. While Round Rock ISD has not yet called a VATRE, the district included the potential for a tax increase in its approved budget.
Get involved
Residents can submit feedback on the district’s plans through the GISD website, Brasher said.
“We love community input and feedback, and we've hosted multiple events to try to come out to the community,” GISD board of trustees President James Scherer said. “All of our email addresses are listed publicly. There are multiple ways to communicate with the district, so we'd welcome that feedback because this timeline is short and approaching quickly.”
