At the August 19 board meeting, the Coppell ISD board approved a Voter Ratification Taxpayer Tax (VATRE) election for the November 5, 2024 election. The VATRE is expected to increase CISD’s Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate by 3.17 cents, generating an additional $2.4 million in funding for the district.

A school district’s tax rate is made up of two parts – the maintenance and operations tax rate, or M&O tax rate, which funds operating costs such as employee salaries, supplies, utilities, and bus repairs, and the interest and principal (I&S) tax rate, which pays bond principal and interest. In 2010, voters approved 17 cents for our M&O tax rate. Due to a 2019 state law, those cents were cut, leaving 3.17 cents for voters to vote on until the 2024 VATRE election.

On November 5, 2024, CISD will put a proposition on the ballot asking voters to add 3.17 copper pennies to the M&O tax rate. Coppell ISD’s property tax rate is now 18 cents lower than it was in the 2022-2023 school year.

There will be no increase for taxpayers age 65 and older whose school taxes are frozen. For the average household, the VATRE would mean an additional $163 per year, or about $14 per month. The VATRE would reduce the M&O tax rate from $0.8022 to $0.7869 – a reduction of 1.53 cents.

On the ballot on November 5, 2024, is the VATRE election, which would increase the M&O tax by 3.17 cents, resulting in $2.4 million in additional funding. Voters are asked to vote for or against the measure. Early voting will be October 21 through November 1. For more information on polling locations and times, visit DallasCountyVotes.org.

To learn more about VATRE, visit CoppellISD.com/VATRE or email [email protected].