(KATY ISD) - The Katy ISD Board of Trustees has called for a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election to fund teacher and staff pay raises. Texas law requires school districts to reduce their local Maintenance and Operation Tax Rate once they reach a certain level of property value growth.
For Katy ISD, the state is calling for a 4.7 cent reduction to the district’s current M&O tax rate of $0.9617. Katy ISD’s TRE will ask voters to sustain this year’s M&O Tax Rate at $0.9617— meaning if the referendum is passed, taxpayers would see no change to their current M&O tax rate.
“The board has been discussing these funding challenges, as well as reviewing options to increase teacher and staff pay, even as we contend with budgetary constraints,” said Greg Schulte, Katy ISD board president. “It’s a priority for our board to ensure Katy ISD can sustain its current educator workforce and continue to recruit and retain top-tier employees.”
Trustees were also presented with the outcomes of an efficiency audit. Texas Education Code requires school districts to conduct an efficiency audit before seeking voter approval to adopt an M&O tax rate. Evidence and conclusions from the audit indicate that Katy ISD’s internal control systems “are in compliance with laws and regulations,” according to the district.
Additional information about the Katy ISD TRE can be found on the Katy ISD Tax Rate Election website.
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