Midlothian ISD trustees have opted against asking a second time for a voter-approved tax rate election, and instead will focus on passage of a $392 million bond issue in November.
The MISD board on Aug. 18 voted unanimously to adopt a total tax rate of $1.0708 per $100 taxable valuation for the 2025-2026 school year, with a maintenance and operation rate of 66.08 cents and an interest and sinking rate of 41 cents. The adopted tax rate is slightly lower than last year’s rate.
Over the last five years, according to the district, the MISD M&O tax rate has decreased by 22 pennies and the I&S by eight. Part of that reduction is due to the state maximum compressed M&O rate.
Notably, the board did not include the calling of a VATRE this year, and instead will move forward with an estimated $3.3 million budget deficit.
A VATRE last November that would have moved three cents per $100 from the I&S fund to the M&O fund was rejected by voters. The final tally was 16,530 votes against the measure, and 12,298 in favor of it.
Also during the Aug. 18 meeting, trustees approved an early bond debt payment of $19.155 million, which will save taxpayers approximately $16.1 million in future interest costs.
The move to “defease” (pay off) the debt brings MISD’s total savings to taxpayers over the past 15 years to approximately $127 million in interest. The payment also maintains bonding capacity for the proposed bond projects recommended by the Facility Planning Committee and approved 7-0 by the board for the Nov. 4 general election.
In a special meeting Aug. 12, the board called a $392 million bond issue referendum to address badly-needed growth issues, the biggest of which is a ninth elementary school to serve the Goodland development.
There are three propositions that will appear on the ballot.
Proposition A provides for the issuance of $226.4 million in bonds and includes the district’s ninth elementary school; capital improvements and renovations to both Midlothian High School and Frank Seale Middle School; buses; capital improvements to three elementary schools; and expansions and renovations to both the transportation and ag facilities.
Proposition B would allocate about $157.1 million for the construction of a new career technical education center to supplant the MILE, which has been quickly outgrown since the previous referendum created the campus six years ago. The last item, Proposition C, would issue $5.6 million in bonds for technology devices.
Trustee Ed Harrison, a paragon of tight-fisted spending in his time on the board, was the most vocal advocate for the need for the new elementary, citing overcrowding at J.A. Vitovsky Elementary, which at present serves Goodland.
