The Arlington school district is asking voters to approvea property tax rate increase of 8.84 cents per $100 of property value, the district announced in a news release on Friday evening.
The increase would mean the property tax bill on the average house, appraised at $208,985, would increase by $162.73 annually. Taxpayers over 65 would not face a tax increase unless they make substantial improvements to their homes.
If approved on Nov. 3, the district expects the tax rate increase to raise an additional $56 million annually, according to the news release.
That money would be used to help the district increase teacher and staff pay and gain access to additional state funding, according to the release. The additional money raised by the tax rate would increase state funding by about $18 million.
The district said in the release that it is losing competitiveness in the job market for teachers. By increasing the tax rate and offering more money, the district said it can “effectively attract and retain quality educators through higher salaries.”
That will be made possible in part by the extra $18 million in state funding.
The district has never held a voter approval tax rate election. Arlington ISD has more information available on its website.
The website says Arlington has the 17th lowest property tax rate of the 21 Tarrant County school districts. Other school districts in the area have already received voter approval through a VATRE to increase their tax rate, including Fort Worth, Burleson, Keller, Aledo and Azle.
The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas lists the Arlington school district as A — Superior.
Got a tip? Email Sam Baker at sbaker@kera.org. You can follow Sam on Twitter @srbkera.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gifttoday. Thank you.
