Voters in Northwest and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISDs supported 3-cent property tax-rate increases Tuesday, giving both districts a potential boost in local revenue to reduce class sizes and maintain competitive teacher pay.
The measures passed, according to unofficial results. In Northwest ISD, 51.87% of voters backed the increase, according to a news release. HEB ISD voters backed the proposition with 51.14% of the vote, according to Tarrant County Elections Administration.
Passage would mark a turnaround for Northwest ISD, where a similar proposal failed last year and forced $16 million in cuts. HEB ISD leaders said the new revenue would help close a projected $15 million to $18 million budget gap while preserving programs and salaries.
Northwest ISD
The approved 3-cent rate would generate about $12 million in new funding, including $8 million for restoring positions and reducing class sizes, and $4 million for future raises, officials said.
Chief financial officer Jonathan Pastusek said voters’ support will allow the district to begin rehiring positions lost last year and lower student-teacher ratios in key grades.
“We can’t put it all back,” Pastusek said. “We’re trying to get at least halfway there.”
The district’s total tax rate will be $1.0841 per $100 of property value, slightly below last year’s $1.0879, due to state tax compression.
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD
HEB ISD’s measure would add roughly $12 million in local funding, raising its maintenance-and-operations rate from 67.26 cents to 70.26 cents. The total tax rate will rise to $1.0289 per $100 valuation.
Superintendent Joe Harrington said the district’s request was about stability, not expansion.
“We held out as long as we could,” he said. “We couldn’t balance the budget without it any longer.”
District leaders said most homeowners would still see lower overall tax bills because of continued state rate compression and a $40,000 homestead exemption increase, which voters statewide appeared likely to approve Tuesday, according to early results.
While Texas lawmakers approved more than $8 billion in new money for public schools this year, including a $55-per-student increase in the state’s basic allotment, administrators across Texas say that’s not enough to keep up with inflation and costs.
The state does not currently track how often these tax-rate elections pass or fail.
A new law will require the Texas Bond Review Board, Comptroller’s Office and Texas Education Agency to collect that data in the future, though no start date has been set, agency spokesperson Melissa Holmes said.
Editor’s note: This story was first published Nov. 4, 2025, and updated at 8:18 a.m. Nov. 5 with unofficial results.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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