It’s finally time for Ellis County and Midlothian voters to show their cards — not only on a massively-consequential U.S. presidential election and Texas Senate race, but also on a meager-but-important request for Midlothian ISD voters to keep funding the district’s overall excellence in the face of lesser state dollars.
Clearly, the vote to return Donald Trump as U.S. president and Ted Cruz as U.S. senator is the focus of Republican partisans in ruby-red Ellis County. But along with all the attention surrounding the big office votes, MISD is trying to shift three cents per $100 taxable valuation from its debt service fund to its operating fund via a referendum on Tuesday’s ballot.
This voter-approved tax rate election, or VATRE, is required by state law but MISD leaders say it will not change property owners’ tax rates in the coming tax year.
The three “golden pennies,” as the switch is known according to state education funding jargon, would, if approved, address four budget priorities: teacher and staff compensation, lower class sizes, student programming and experiences, and safety and security enhancements.
These “golden pennies” would generate an estimated total increase of about $4.7 million in additional state and local funding to the general operating budget, according to MISD. This additional funding would move the district closer to a balanced budget while addressing the four mentioned key funding priorities, the district states.
MISD leaders cited “strong financial stewardship” over the years with enabling the shift of funds from debt service by strategically refunding (refinancing) and paying off debt early. These efforts have saved taxpayers more than $111 million in interest and allowed the district to lower the Interest and Sinking (I&S) tax rate by $0.03.
“I sat down and had a one on one conversation with (MISD superintendent) Dr. (David) Belding about the referendum and I am absolutely in favor,” Ken Jackson posted on Facebook. “So please get out and vote for it.”
The switch in funding would allow MISD to cover budget shortfalls due to a lack of increased funding from the state. The tax rate will remain at $1.1069 per $100 taxable valuation, which is a slight reduction from the 2023 rate. But the resulting shift would raise an estimated $4.7 million in additional state and local funding taxes for the district’s operating fund.
More information on the MISD election can be found at https://www.midlothianisd.org/about/school-board/school-funding-referendum.
With a heated presidential and U.S. Senate race on the ballot, interest in this year’s election is extremely high. A record number of Texans — more than 18.6 million — are registered to vote across the state, according to Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
As of Tuesday night, more than 61,000 of the county’s 147,000 registered voters — almost 42 percent — had voted early either in-person or by mail, according to the Ellis County Elections Department.
Friday was the last scheduled day of early voting, which in Midlothian was being held at the Midlothian Conference Center at 1 Community Circle Drive.
Election Day voting on Tuesday will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at five Vote Center locations in Midlothian: the Conference Center; the Midlothian Church of Christ at 1627 North Highway 67; Mountain Peak Community Church at 751 West FM 875; Stonegate Church at 4025 East Highway 287; and The Shepherd’s House at 3221 Mockingbird Lane. All eligible registered voters in Ellis County may vote at any Election Day Vote Center in the county.
