As property values in Bexar County stagnate, faculty districts are reevaluating how far they will stretch their very own tax charges to pay for objects akin to new faculties, renovations, expertise upgrades — the record goes on.
On common, Bexar County properties decreased in worth by 0.11% for 2026. Final 12 months, values elevated by 2.1%.
For months now, San Antonio Impartial College District has been weighing a November bond election because it offers with a number of ageing buildings, calls for for upgraded expertise and state security mandates akin to having three-point seatbelts on all faculty buses by 2029.
Equally, Northside ISD is leaning towards having a college bond election this 12 months to pay for security, HVAC, turf replacements and extra.
In the meantime, the Metropolis of San Antonio will suggest a tax price improve for the primary time in 33 years due to its personal finances woes, additionally shared by the county and native public utility programs.
Municipalities and college districts use its tax charges to pay again massive loans taken out for large infrastructure tasks, betting on future progress within the space.
When there’s sufficient property worth progress, faculty districts can preserve the tax price the identical and generally even lower it since there can be extra money coming in anyway.
However now, an ideal storm of property worth stagnation, increased homestead exemptions and better rates of interest are pushing districts to take “conservative” approaches.
SAISD reconsiders bond plans
Only some months in the past, SAISD felt optimistic it may exit for a bond between $450 million, requiring no tax price improve, and over $1 billion, which might require a 10-cent improve.
However now, officers imagine they might solely go for a $300 million bond to keep away from growing the SAISD’s tax price, presently set at $1.15 per each $100 of taxable property worth.
In contrast to the county, property values in SAISD did go up by 1.1% total, however caps and homestead exemptions additionally considerably elevated, in the end slicing what the district will get from taxpayers by 10.1% this 12 months.
In the meantime, SAISD is coping with a number of ageing buildings and just lately introduced it could be taking a “new manner ahead,” which entails rightsizing, changing faculties with new state-of-the-art studying hubs and modernizing throughout the board.
The district can be contemplating a separate, voter-approval tax price election which might improve the a part of the tax price that pays for day-to-day prices like scholar applications and instructor pay. The opposite a part of the tax price, referred to as the curiosity and sinking price, pays again bonds used for capital enchancment.
Mario Barrera chairs SAISD’s Blue Ribbon Activity Pressure, a bunch of group members who make bond suggestions to the college board, and mentioned the district solely has about 17 “good and new” faculties. SAISD operates over 80 faculties, even after mass faculty closures in 2023 and two faculty closures this 12 months.
“Our youngsters deserve higher,” mentioned Barrera, who’s helped the district by means of a number of bond cycles.
A $300 million bond seemingly wouldn’t pay for any new faculties, as a substitute focusing solely on security, upkeep and new gear.
Barrera really useful SAISD exit for a $600 million bond, which may exchange two faculties on prime of specializing in the opposite areas and would solely improve the tax price by 4 to five cents.
The timeline to make a bond plan can be sped up by an impending 2027 state legislative session which may make issues tougher for varsity districts in finances crunches, given the state’s push to maintain slicing property taxes.
“It may worsen,” mentioned SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino. “That’s why we’re attempting to be conservative right here.”
A ‘conservative’ strategy
“Conservative” is a phrase districts use lots when describing the bond planning course of.
Over at North East ISD, the place voters authorized practically half a billion {dollars} in bond tasks final 12 months, spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor mentioned the district deliberate for the “worst case situation.”
“Subsequently, the flat values is not going to actually have an effect,” Chancellor said. “We don’t anticipate needing a change as we had been very conservative in our planning.”
The second-largest district in San Antonio, NEISD had additionally gone practically a decade with no bond election.
Through the newer Might 2 elections, voters in Schertz-Cibolo-Common Metropolis ISD mentioned ‘sure’ to a $295 million bond for tech, stadiums and main faculty upgrades.
“SCUC ISD factored extra conservative progress projections into its bond 2026 planning and deliberately structured tasks in phases to permit flexibility as market situations evolve,” mentioned district spokesperson Deanna Jackson.
Over at Northside ISD, the biggest district in San Antonio, officers have been weighing a November bond election between $400 million and $2 billion, relying on which tasks they suppose will get group help.
District officers haven’t mentioned in the event that they needed to cut back on their plans after the county launched its property worth evaluation, however a spokesperson said NISD is “conservative” when estimating their very own property values, “assuming minimal progress for a couple of years and 0 progress thereafter.”
NISD additionally mentioned tax values have an effect on the overall fund — which might’t be used to repay bonds — due to a lag in monetary help the state supplies districts crippled by homestead exemptions.
