Students walk through the halls of McKinney North High School Aug. 13. (Mary Katherine Shapiro/Community Impact)
McKinney ISD officials are looking to secure voter-approved funding for new schools, facility maintenance and more in an effort to keep schools “safe, modern and ready,” the district’s website states.
The VATRE, listed on the ballot as Proposition A, could net an additional $4.1 million in revenue for teacher compensation and student programs if approved. The four bond propositions include funding for two new elementary schools, upgrades to existing facilities, new technology purchases and safety upgrades, according to district documents.
“Together, the bond and VATRE help ensure the district can accommodate growth, maintain and improve facilities, invest in students and staff and preserve financial stability without diverting operating funds away from educational programs,” Chief Financial Officer Marlene Harbeson said in an email.
Proposition B includes funding for two new elementary school campuses in north McKinney where the district has seen significant enrollment growth. Frazier Elementary, which opened in 2023, is already at capacity, Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Dennis Womack said. Frazier Elementary Principal Amy Holderman said the campus’s continued enrollment growth impacts “nearly every aspect” of the school.
“The large size of our campus creates unique challenges with arrival and dismissal, including students who spend more than an hour riding the bus to and from school each day,” Holderman said in an email.
“That's the part of this bond that really excites me, because it's two taxing entities coming together, working together, not duplicating the process for taxpayers, but then providing an unbelievable opportunity for our students,” Pratt said.
Proposition C outlines a $62 million ask to fund instructional technology equipment, while Propositions D and E are tied to facility maintenance—$4.5 million for repairs at the district's existing training pool and $2.55 million to replace turf and track at district stadiums, respectively.
The bond propositions are the result of a three-year process involving several committees and community input. Both a Strategic Planning Team and a Long Range Facilities Planning Committee, which includes district principals, staff, students and community members, played a role in preparing for the called bond package.
Based on a recommendation from the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee, district officials closed three elementary campuses at the end of the 2025-26 school year in an effort to save $3 million in reduced labor costs. Eddins Elementary, McNeil Elementary and Wolford Elementary have since been repurposed and house a variety of district support programs.
The closed elementary campuses are located in the district’s southwest sector, which has seen declining enrollment as population shifts and development have driven growth further north.
“We are a rapidly growing city, and our needs have changed since these schools were built,” said MISD parent Allison Monroe, who was a member of the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee.
McKinney ISD/Community Impact
Despite cost-saving measures including reducing staff, consolidating programs and hiring freezes, MISD adopted its 2026-27 budget with a projected $6 million shortfall at a July meeting—marking the third consecutive year the district has adopted a budget with a projected shortfall.
“We’ve done everything that we can do except go before the voters,” Trustee Corey Homer said.
Diving deeper
While the proposed bond package could secure funding for district facilities and purchases, district officials are looking to use funds generated from the VATRE to pay for teachers and daily operations.
The VATRE, if approved, could generate an additional $9.1 million in M&O revenue for the district, district documents state. However, the increased revenue would also trigger an increase in recapture, Harbeson said.
“The net effect of that is around $4.1 million,” she said. “[That] is what you would actually see from a revenue standpoint.”
The district’s tax rate is made up of two parts: the maintenance and operations, or M&O, rate, and the interest and sinking, or I&S, rate.
The M&O rate is set by state officials and the I&S rate is set by district officials, Pratt said. If a school district wants to set a higher M&O rate than what is state-mandated, the district must get voter approval, triggering a VATRE, he said.
“It’s two different buckets and [the] law only allows you to spend on certain things out of each bucket,” Pratt said.
The I&S budget provides funds for district officials to pay off debt, such as bonds, issued to fund construction and other capital improvements, per the Texas Education Agency’s website. The M&O budget funds the district’s day-to-day operations, including teacher salaries and student programs, Womack said.
“We need to protect [the M&O rate] as much as possible because when we start having to decrease it, then ultimately it will impact a student in some way, shape, or form,” he said.
The VATRE, if approved, would add $0.0317 to the M&O rate, according to the district’s website, which would cause a year-over-year increase to the M&O tax rate by $0.0121 cents. However, district officials expect to lower the I&S portion of the tax rate by $0.05 cents, offsetting the total property tax rate to see a year-over-year 3.4% decrease, per district documents.
If all propositions are approved by voters, the district’s total tax rate will be $1.0664 per $100 valuation, which is $0.0379 cents lower than the prior year’s property tax rate, according to district documents.
“It's important for voters to know that, although the wording of these bond proposals (set by the state) sounds a little wonky, their taxes will actually be going down,” board of trustees president Amy Dankel said in an emailed statement.
The median-valued homestead in MISD is valued at $368,036, according to district documents. With the proposed total tax rate of $1.0664 per $100 valuation, the median-valued homestead would see an annual bill of $3,925, which is $302 lower than the previous fiscal year, per Womack’s presentation at an Aug. 10 board meeting.
McKinney ISD/Community Impact
The impact
Building a new elementary school is about a two-year process, so if the bond passes district officials expect to start construction as soon as possible, Womack said. MISD officials are hoping to open the district’s next campus in 2029, he said.
Other projects included in the bond, such as refreshing existing campuses, are mapped out on a staggered schedule with the goal of refreshing a campus around the time it hits 20 years old, Womack said.
Dankel said fully funded schools impact the entire community.
“We know that when schools receive adequate, sustained, financial support, the benefits ripple far beyond the classroom walls .... driving long-term prosperity, reducing crime and improving overall quality of life for all residents,” Dankel said.
Despite the needs outlined by district officials, some parents are concerned about the funding outlined to build new campuses being requested just months after three campuses were closed and repurposed. MISD parent Anthony England expressed concern about the process of repurposing schools, he said.
“I would love to vote yes,” England said. “I grew up in public school. I want to see public schools succeed. I think it's hard seeing the lack of transparency in the school closure process, especially knowing that the VATRE was an option that wasn't offered to my kids to keep their schools open.”
Monroe said it would be “detrimental” to the district if the bond did not pass.
“Everything will be on a chopping block if we don't do this, and facilities will deteriorate, equipment won't be replaced,” Allison said. “It would be really detrimental to the district to not have this pass, and we can afford it because we've lowered the tax rate.”
Get involved
Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting will be held Oct. 19-30. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5. For information on polling locations and hours in McKinney and throughout Collin County, visit www.collincountytx.gov/elections.
