GUEST COMMENTARY: Boerne ISD tax story; VATRE is about people

Our governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders deserve much credit for prioritizing property tax relief in recent years.

As this year’s Boerne ISD board of trustees officers, we would like to share the history of our efforts to reduce our tax rate and the impact of those efforts on our community.

Here’s a little history:

• 2019: BISD trustees’ legislative priorities included reducing Robin Hood recapture, property tax relief and increasing state’s share of funding public education. With the passage of HB 3, all three objectives were achieved, beginning the process of tax compression. BISD tax rate reduced from $1.35 to $1.28.

• 2020: BISD tax rate reduced again, by 3 cents.

• 2021: BISD tax rate reduced again, by 5 cents.

• 2022: BISD trustees supported increasing the Homestead Exemption from $25,000 to $40,000. BISD tax rate reduced by another 2.5 cents.

• 2023: BISD legislative priorities included using part of the record state surplus for property tax reduction. BISD tax rate lowered by 18 cents; the Homestead Exemption increased to $100,000, and for over 65, to $110,000.

• 2024: BISD tax rate lowered by ¼ penny, for a total reduction of 36 cents since 2018,

• 2025: BISD board legislative priorities included additional property tax relief. Our advocacy included: — Building a coalition with neighboring school district trustees (Comfort and Blanco) who visited all 181 members of the Texas Legislature.

— BISD trustee Rich Sena was one of four Texans invited by Senate Local Government Committee Chairman Paul Bettencourt to testify in support of increasing the Homestead Exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for those under 65, and to $200,000 for those over 65.

— In August 2025 BISD trustees unanimously passed a resolution supporting the increase to the Homestead Exemption on the November 2025 ballot.

These moves matter. They matter to homeowners at any stage of life, at any price point.

You may not be aware that public school districts essentially have an annual spending increase cap. State formulas dictate how much each district can spend. These formulas include a wide variety of factors.

Last year, BISD was the ninth-lowest funded per pupil district in the state. Of neighboring districts in the San Antonio and Hill County area, our 2024 starting pay for teachers ranked 15th out of 21. This fell to 19th of 21 after 10 years of teaching.

In 2024 we were the only A-rated school district in the San Antonio area, and only non-military affiliated A-rated district in 2025. While we are used to doing more with less, we believe that our students and teachers deserve better.

So do our hourly workers, some of whom start at $14.45/hour, compared to the lowest starting hourly pay for a Kendall County employee of $18.03.

We understand that our community is used to bond elections that support buildings and infrastructure. This isn’t that type of election. For us, this VATRE — Voter Approval Tax Ratification Election — is about people.

To narrow these gaps, our board approved placing on this November’s ballot the VATRE proposition, to increase the tax rate by 2 cents. This would generate an additional $2 million in local taxes but yield the district $4.8 million due to increasing state aid when voters approve additional golden pennies, which are exempt from Robin Hood, thus meaning the funds remain right here in Boerne.

What’s easy to forget as you hear about rates and fractions of percentages is that people pay tax bills, not tax rates. The district has consistently lowered that bill for many homeowners. Now, we’re just asking for 2 cents back.

Even with voter approval of the new tax rate, due to the expected increase in the Homestead Exemption, the average valued home will see a decline of $80 in 2025 school taxes; those over age 65 will see an average reduction of $670.

The combination of increase in the Homestead Exemption from $25,000 to $140,000 ($200,000 for seniors) since 2019, with the tax rate reduction has lowered significantly the share of a homeowner’s property taxes that goes to schools.

Boerne ISD trustees are committed to continuous improvement, educational excellence and fiscal responsibility.

We believe both the 2025 ballot proposition and future legislative advocacy will help accomplish these objectives.