Following the Nov. 7 approval of Pearland ISD's voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, PISD board trustee Crystal Carbone said she had "sincere appreciation" for the voters of PISD.
"This favorable vote demonstrates that Pearland values our public schools, they appreciate the quality education their children receive, and they are supportive of our incredible teachers and staff," she said. "Together, we will continue to 'Build Pearland Proud.'"
With all of Galveston County reporting and nearly all of Harris County, PISD's VATRE has 5,557 votes in favor, or 56.8% of the vote, to 4,227 votes against, or 43.2% of the vote, unofficial results show.
Meanwhile, the vote total has not moved for Friendswood since the night of Nov. 7, which had a VATRE that was also approved, unofficial results show.
Results will not be made official until canvassed by their respective districts at future meetings.
Update at 10:30 p.m.
With 100% of precincts reporting in Galveston County, unofficial results have voters approving the voter-approval tax rate election for Friendswood ISD, which will add about $1.2 million to the district's budget to help them close a $3.65 million shortfall, unofficial results show.
While neither that race nor Pearland ISD's VATRE are official until the results are canvassed by their respective districts, both appear to be headed to approval.
Friendswood ISD, as of 10:30 p.m., had 2,722 votes in favor, or 59.94% of the vote, and 1,819 votes against, or 40.06% of the vote, unofficial results show.
FISD board President Tony Hopkins said he was thankful to the voters for "continually" supporting the district.
"Friendswood ISD could not be the highly rated district [it] has always been without the support of our community," Hopkins said.
Update at 10 p.m.
Voters have shown enough support for Pearland ISD's tax rate election, or VATRE, to declare the race. The VATRE will result in the district's tax rate going up by $0.09, netting the district an additional $11.2 million to fill a $12.7 million shortfall in its fiscal year 2023-24 budget, unofficial results show.
Votes are still being tallied for that race and for Friendswood ISD's VATRE, which also has a majority of votes in its favor as of 10:15 p.m., unofficial election results show.
Results won't be final until they are canvassed by their respective districts.
Results as of 10:15 p.m. were:
- Friendswood ISD's VATRE has 1,863 votes in favor, or 60.84% of the vote, versus 1,199 votes against, or 39.16% of the vote.
- Pearland ISD's VATRE has 3,604 votes in favor, or 57.78% of the vote, to 2,633 votes against, or 42.22% of the vote.
As of 7:45 p.m., early election results show support for both Friendswood ISD's and Pearland ISD’s voter approval tax rate elections, or VATREs, according to the unofficial election results.
What you need to know
Results across Brazoria and Harris counties have 3,078 votes, or 58.26% of the vote, in favor of PISD’s VATRE, and 2,205 votes, or 41.74% of the vote, against the measure, according to unofficial election results.
If results hold, PISD will see its tax rate increased by $0.09—from $1.0473 to $1.1373, according to district material.
Meanwhile, for FISD, results as of 7:45 p.m. had 1,615 votes, or 61.17% of the vote, in favor of its VATRE, and 1025 votes, or 38.83% of the vote, against, unofficial results show.
For FISD, approval of its VATRE will mean the tax rate will increase by more than $0.05—from $1.0224 to $1.08, according to district material.
Results for PISD come from both Brazoria and Harris counties, while FISD is in Galveston.
In both cases, even if VATREs are approved, each district’s tax rate will be lower than previous years. Approval will also still mean the average property tax owner will save on their 2023 tax bill compared to 2022, although not as much as if it were to fail.
Results are unofficial until canvassed by each district.
Diving in deeper
Both school districts called VATREs amid financial struggles, which officials in the past several months have tied to inflation, stagnant enrollment and a lack of action from the state to increase public school funding—specifically in terms of the state’s per student allotment, which has sat at $6,160 since 2019.
Each district in their fiscal year 2023-24 budgets are facing shortfalls and called VATREs with the aim of closing up those gaps.
PISD is facing a $12.7 million shortfall and could add an additional $11.2 million with a VATRE, while FISD is looking at a $3.65 million shortfall and $1.2 million additional revenue through a VATRE.
What else?
In the months leading up to the election, both districts’ boards pinned teacher and staff raises to the results of a VATRE, or further action from the state. If those raises are approved in the future, it would be the second raise approved this year for employees in each district.
