This year, the state will take $2.5 million of BISD local property taxes.
With rising property values throughout Brazoria County, Brazosport ISD has reduced its maintenance and operations tax rate by over 12 cents in the past five years, despite paying over $72 million back to the state in recapture “robin-hood” payments, during that same time period. Brazosport ISD has no control over property appraisals, which are set by the Brazoria County Appraisal District, who must operate under the currently flawed state property tax system. As the Texas economy continues to thrive, local property taxes fund a larger share of public education. It is important for our taxpayers to understand that although property values have increased, BISD does not get to keep any extra taxes collected, your dollars are recaptured by the State of Texas which reduces the state's share of funding for public education.
The district's General Fund revenue is largely controlled by the state, and funding is determined by the district's tax rate, how many of its students qualify for additional funding weights and allotments, and the Basic Allotment for every student, which is $6,160 per student for fiscal year 2023. The State has not increased the Basic Allotment in four years, while the Texas Comptroller has reported inflationary increases at 14.5%. This has left school districts, including BISD, with the difficult task of making reductions to cover increased costs of operating the district in areas such as utilities, insurance, fuel and police/security services.
Despite these challenges, BISD has managed to decrease its tax rate for the fifth consecutive year. "We understand the financial burden that property taxes can have on our community and empathize with property owners who have seen a drastic increase in appraisal costs,” said BISD Superintendent Danny Massey.
However, the funding challenges faced by BISD and other school districts in Texas cannot be ignored. As BISD and other school districts work to provide quality education while dealing with funding challenges, the community is urged to support their local schools and advocate for increased state funding for public education. To learn more about BISD 88th Legislative Priorities,
click here.
