The Boerne Independent School District's Voter Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE, was approved Tuesday, with 6,241 (51.2%) votes for and 5,933 (48.7%) against – a margin of victory coming largely on the backs of Bexar County voter approval.
Bexar residents in the school district came out strong, with 2,123 votes for the taxing teacher-pay effort, with 1,751 opposed.
That 372-vote margin made the difference for the district, offsetting a losing margin realized in Kendall County, where 4,082 voters (50.4%) opposed the measure, while 4,014 (49.6%) cast their votes in support.
Boerne ISD Superintendent Kristin Craft said the successful vote is just the beginning of steps the district must take in order to attract and retain talented staff.
“Our voters have spoken, and we are grateful not only for their confirmation of this measure, but for the encouraging voter turnout this election season,' Craft said. “We wholeheartedly thank all of those who made the effort to go to the polls and weigh in on this matter. Our community is truly special.”
The district proposed the VATRE — which, according to the BISD website, allows school districts to seek voter approval to access additional funding for day-to-day operations such as teacher salaries, academic programs, classroom materials, and facility upkeep.
The Boerne VATRE would increase the district’s tax rate by two cents, from $0.9909 to $1.0109. The district will receive an estimated $4.8 million annually — for every $1.00, an additional $0.60 comes from the state.
The VATRE will yield $3 million in local funding, according to school offi cials. The VATRE is unique because it will also require the state of Texas to kick in 60 cents for every dollar.
Over 80% of the $4.8 million has been earmarked to increase staff salaries, including restructuring the pay of teachers, nurses and counselors, and raising the minimum teacher starting pay from $55,142 to $60,000. The remaining 20% was budgeted to support program growth and facility needs.
The district would not have been able to increase staff pay without the passage of the VATRE, even after saving $1.5 million by reducing administrative positions.
Boerne ISD was the only school district in the San Antonio area to get a VATRE approved, as four others saw their efforts fail.
Craft and staff went the distance to get the word out about teacher pay rates. BISD is the ninth-lowest funded school district in the state.
Of neighboring districts in the San Antonio and Hill County area, Boerne’s 2024 starting pay for teachers ranked 15 out of 21; a figure that fell to 19th after 10 years of teaching.
And all that, despite the district maintaining a lengthy six years of A-ratings from the Texas Education Agency’s A-F Accountability Rating system.
Last year alone, Craft said, the district lost more than 100 educators, many of them to districts just a few miles away that are able to pay more.
Kendall County's early voters gave the district something to cheer about, giving a quick 337-vote boost — 2,480 to 2,143 — to the district’s benefit.
But Election Day turnout began to whittle away at that lead. When the two final Kendall County precincts reported, their totals pushed the 'no' votes to 4,082, 68 more than the 4,014 accumulated 'yes' votes.
Unlike in Kendall County, the district maintained a 'yes'-vote advantage down the stretch among its constituents in Bexar County. Percentages stayed pretty consistent, from early voting ( 57.6% yes; 42.3% no) to the final, 54.8% yes; 45.2% no.
Early vote there was also in the district's favor -- 1,452 to 1,065, a 337-vote 'yes' margin. Election Day turnout in Bexar showed 671 votes for, and 686 against -- a slight dropoff, but not enough to offset the district's 300-plus early voting margin.
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