How your tax dollars impact school funding is complicated, but it’s no secret that the state is funding a smaller and smaller portion of the cost of education in Texas. Data from the Legislative Budget Board shows a significant drop through the years, from 48 percent in 2008 to 38 percent in 2019 to 31 percent in 2023 of the share contributed by the state.
If the state is only funding 31 percent, that means local taxpayers are now funding 69 percent of the cost for education. In comparison, the state contributed 52 percent of the cost of education in 1985, making taxpayers responsible for only 48 percent. Aside from the share the state provides, where does school funding come from for Goose Creek CISD?
Texas has been reducing school funding for years, and as a result, property taxes are rising. When the Texas Legislature doesn’t maintain state aid, we pay higher local property taxes to provide the same amount of money to the school district, although student enrollment, needs and expectations have risen.
Overall funding formulas have allowed the state to reduce its share of the total cost and shift it to local property taxpayers. This has been accomplished by a substantial increase in property values. Local taxpayers will only see real property tax relief when the state funds its public school system sufficiently. Local property tax relief will only be felt if state legislators fix school funding.
Even so, Goose Creek CISD has decreased the total tax rate by more than 15 cents, which is more than 10 percent!
2018 district tax rate - $1.4319
2023 district tax rate - $1.0825
Taxes are calculated by dividing the property’s assessed value by 100 and multiplying by the tax rate.
For example:
$250,000 divided by 100 = $2,500
$2,500 x 1.0825 = $2,706.25
Although the school district decreased the tax rate, which should have given taxpayers some relief, the increase in property values has resulted in increased property taxes. The increase in property values, set by the appraisal district and approved by the state, is so high that it overshadows the savings that taxpayers would have received due to the tax reduction.
When local taxpayers see tax bills increase to rising market value, it only means one thing:
Local taxpayers are paying a higher percentage for funding public education and the state is paying a lower percentage.