Sabine ISD voters rejected Proposition A, a voter-approval tax rate election that would have provided about $850,000 in additional district funding. The vote was 830 for and 1,599 against.
The district's overall property tax rate would have stayed at 92.8330 cents per $100 of property valuation. The interest and sinking fund rate would have decreased, while the maintenance and operations rate would have increased. The measure would have let the district use more of its golden pennies, which are local property tax revenue the district keeps and the state cannot recapture.
Superintendent Monty Pepper said the district is disappointed with the result but understands that residents may be feeling pressure from the current economy. Pepper said the district will focus on strategic spending of its existing funding and will seek new funding in the upcoming legislative session. The district had said the extra money would go to employee pay raises, repairs, academic supplies, existing programs and safety improvements.