San Antonio School Districts Fail VATRE and Bond Elections

San Antonio Voters Reject School Tax Rate Increases and Bonds

Four of the five San Antonio-area school districts that placed Voter-Approval Tax Rate Elections on the 2026 midterm ballot saw their funding measures fail, according to Texas Public Radio. While voters strongly supported renewing sales tax funding for Pre-K 4 SA, they balked at increasing property taxes for daily school operations and teacher pay. All three school districts that included bond propositions on the ballot also saw those measures defeated.

School districts across Texas have turned to VATREs to bridge budget gaps driven by flat state funding, rising fuel costs, and declining enrollment. Because state lawmakers dictate basic funding levels, these local elections remain the only lever districts possess to raise operational revenue. Yet the tax measures face persistent voter resistance across Bexar County, mirroring a similar wave of failures during the 2025 elections.

Northside Independent School District Defeats Tax and Bond Proposals

The Northside Independent School District asked voters to approve a VATRE alongside three bond propositions totaling $886 million. The tax measure would have raised the Maintenance and Operations tax rate by three cents, unlocking $21.5 million in local revenue annually and drawing another $24 million from the state. Because the measure failed, trustees will not fund a previously approved compensation package that included a 2% raise and a $15 hourly minimum wage. Northside trustee Bobby Blount, who led the political action committee for the finance measures, pointed to high turnout in a November election and confusing ballot language as hurdles. “We think the other thing too that we’ve always been concerned about is that language on that ballot. That language that said this is a tax increase.”

San Antonio Independent School District Struggles With Defeats

San Antonio ISD pursued a VATRE designed to generate roughly $5.5 million annually by capturing the district’s final 3.17 cents out of the 17 cents in optional state funding. The district intended to direct the money toward a one-time staff stipend, teacher pipelines, and college readiness programs. Voters also struck down $600 million across three bond propositions. Proposition B targeted $492 million for campus renovations, security upgrades, and heating and cooling repairs. The district faced intense pressure regarding outdated HVAC systems after frozen boiler pipes forced a two-day school closure in January 2024. Barrera expressed surprise at the outcome. “Our teachers and our staff need that. They were not able to get an increase in salary over the last academic year, simply because of budgetary reasons, so we really, really need that for them, along with the teacher pipeline programs that have been pretty innovative for the district.”

Guadalupe County Results Remain Undecided for Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD returned to voters after a narrow 108-vote defeat in 2025. The district sought approval for a 12-cent VATRE projected to bring in $15.1 million annually for staff salaries and operations, split between local collections and state aid. Early voting returns in Guadalupe County showed 51% support for the measure, keeping the race too close to call early Wednesday morning, while a majority of Bexar County voters opposed it. Budget constraints earlier forced the district to cut all librarians and replace them with aides.

Other area districts faced similar resistance. East Central ISD trimmed its tax request to a 3.72-cent increase while lowering bond tax rates to create a net increase of just 0.01 cents, but voters rejected it following earlier defeats in 2024 and 2025. South San Antonio ISD proposed a 7-cent operational tax increase offset by a matching drop in bond debt taxes to keep the overall rate flat. Comal ISD voters saw two bond propositions totaling $567 million for expansion, security, and student devices fail to pass.