FORNEY, Texas — Forney Independent School District (ISD) recently announced a decrease in its tax rate for the fifth consecutive year — accumulating a total reduction over the past five years of 25 cents per $100,000 in assessed valuations.
FORNEY, Texas — Forney Independent School District (ISD) recently announced a decrease in its tax rate for the fifth consecutive year — accumulating a total reduction over the past five years of 25 cents per $100,000 in assessed valuations.
The tax rate for the 2023-2024 academic year is set at 6.5 cents lower than the previous year, or $1.28.
In a unanimous decision, the Forney ISD Board of Trustees has also called for a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE), also referred to as the School Funding Referendum. This referendum will be included in the November 7th ballot, inviting voters to participate in this crucial decision-making process.
According to Forney ISD, homeowners below 65, who have their homestead exemption in place, will benefit from reduced property taxes. On average, this would translate to savings of about $450 in property taxes for this year.
Senior citizens, those 65 and older, will not experience an increase in their tax levy due to the senior citizen homestead exemption. Some might even notice a decrease.
According to the district, if the School Funding Referendum is approved by the voters, the funds will be allocated to:
- Increase teacher and staff salaries to help recruit and retain educators during a national teacher shortage, including a $3,600 stipend this year with the ability to offer competitive raises in the future.
- Add armed police officers at every campus to ensure student and teacher safety during a police shortage.
- Fund staff positions to offset increased student enrollment, as we are growing over 1,500 new students every year.
- Sustain funding for academic programs, athletics, fine arts and extracurricular offerings.
- Increase the number of career pathways and job training programs.
- Continue college preparation programs including our partnerships with Texas Tech University and Dallas College.
- And help to provide educational and enrichment opportunities for our entire Forney Family.
The district highlighted that the bond referendums of 2019 and 2022, which were approved by the voters, have facilitated or will soon facilitate infrastructural growth to accommodate the rising student population. However, it's crucial to note that bond funds, as per state regulations, cannot be utilized for operational expenses like teacher salaries or security measures. To allocate funds for these purposes, voter approval via a VATRE or School Funding Referendum is required.
"While our State Representative is working hard for our students and teachers down in Austin, the State Legislature as a whole has not changed the per pupil allotment which funds school operations since 2019," read a statement, in part, from the district. "With school funding remaining stagnant, the dollars per student Forney ISD receives does not cover rising inflation, insurance costs or the need for competitive teacher salaries, increased safety and security measures and educational programming."
In the run-up to the election, Forney ISD has committed to offering comprehensive information to assist residents in making informed voting choices and, in doing so, have launched an informational website — www.fisdfundingfacts.com.
Early voting starts on Monday, October 23rd and continues until Friday, November 3rd. The main election day is slated for Tuesday, November 7th.