La Porte Bond 2023

La Porte ISD calls for bond election

Early voting begins April 24 and ends May 2; Election Day is Saturday, May 6

The La Porte Independent School District Board of Trustees at its regular meeting on Feb. 7 unanimously approved calling a school bond election for May 6, 2023. A committee of community members developed the proposal in conjunction with district staff and administration. Their task was to develop and present to the Board of Trustees a long-term plan that included a recommendation for implementation.

“I want to thank our board, staff, and community for their work over the past 18 months to help get us to this point,” La Porte ISD Superintendent Dr. Walter Jackson said. “This decision is based on carefully considering all areas of need around our district while balancing the expectations of our community. Texas school districts do not receive state funding for renovating or building new schools. Instead, they must receive funds through school bond elections. La Porte ISD has a Superior (financial) Achievement Rating “A” and has one of the lowest tax rates among surrounding districts.”

The 2023 Bond will ask voters to consider a $235 million package in three propositions:

• Proposition A ($164 million) – includes safety and security enhancements; facilities upgrades; furniture, fixtures and equipment; school bus replacement; educational center/field house

• Proposition B ($15 million) – 1:1 devices for K-12 students, teachers and staff; teacher technology docking stations, monitors, wireless access; technology upgrades in phases over 10 years

• Proposition C ($56 million) – Bulldog Stadium replacement; safety and security enhancements; fully ADA and UIL compliant

Homeowners age 65 and older will not be impacted by the passage of the bond propositions if they have filed for and received the Over 65 Homestead Exemption with the Harris County Central Appraisal District. Their school district taxes will not exceed the frozen dollar amount. Ballot language will include the statement “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.” Legislation passed in the 2019 Texas Legislative Session requires that school districts include this language, regardless of the bond’s impact on the district’s tax rate. For more information, go to bond.lpisd.org. There is no tax increase as a result of the bond.

Financial Impact Q

& A’s

What is La Porte ISD’s tax rate?

A school district tax rate is made up of two different tax rates. The first is Maintenance & Operations (M&O) which covers the day-to-day costs of running a school district with most going towards salaries and utilities. The second is Interest & Sinking (I&S) which is solely used for paying down debt. LPISD’s 2022-2023 M&O tax rate is $.9746 and I&S tax rate is $0.2819 for a total tax rate of