Voters in six Houston-area school districts rejected property tax increase proposals on Election Day. Cy-Fair, Channelview, Crosby, Huffman, La Porte and Spring ISD all asked voters to approve a proposition, and all of them failed.
In La Porte, 63% of voters said no. The district said the proposition would have brought in more than $8 million and helped address a $12 million deficit. Melissa Torres said a small tax increase matters to families on a tight budget.
Virginia Snodgrass Rangel, a University of Houston education professor, said ongoing discussion about property taxes appears to be driving voters to reject school propositions across the state. She said rising property values can mean higher tax bills even when tax rates fall. She also said the failed votes could lead to layoffs in central offices or larger class sizes. Districts said they respect voters' decisions and will assess what comes next.