On November 3, voters in the Fort Worth ISD approved a Tax Ratification Election that will generate $66 million annually for students.
“We are grateful to voters for their support of Fort Worth ISD students,” said Superintendent Kent P. Scribner. “And, we are especially thankful to the neighborhood and community leaders who helped us by ensuring that voters made an informed decision at the polls.”
The Voter Approval TRE will fund:
- Compensation for teachers allowing the District to be more competitive in attracting and retaining the best teachers;
- Safety, health, and security by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and additional measures to clean and sanitize campuses;
- And, connectivity and devices such as Chromebook computers, hot spots and additional methods to provide broadband internet access for students.
“Although Covid-19 kept us from holding in-person town hall meetings, many parents and employees attended our ‘virtual’ presentations,” said Scribner of the District’s information campaign.
The District held a series of Zoom town hall meetings, each followed by question and answer sessions. Additionally, voters watched informative videos (in English and Spanish) and visited a special website — www.fwisd.org/election — to learn more about how the TRE would work, including bringing extra funds from the state to the District.
The Voter Approval TRE will generate $44 million – but that money will be matched by the state of Texas with an additional $22 million, resulting in $66 million annually for students.
This tax rate for 2020-2021 will effectively raise taxes for the Maintenance and Operations fund by 7.53%. The proposed I&S tax rate will not increase. For a $100,000 home that would mean an additional $96.50 in taxes.
“These resources will help us hire and retain great teachers, provide funding for safety measures on campus, and provide connectivity and devices to every child in every neighborhood of the District,” said Dr. Scribner.