2026 SCUC ISD Bond Financial Impact
How will the 2026 SCUC ISD Bond impact the average taxpayer?
The SCUC ISD Board of Trustees has called a three-proposition bond election for May 2, 2026. The $295 million bond proposal includes upgrades and renovations to facilities across the district, as well as stadium renovations and technology devices.
School Finance 101
To truly understand the impact that this election will have on the school district and the local taxpayer, we have to understand a little about how School finance in Texas operates.
Texas Public Schools Operate Out of Two Budgets
Day-to-Day Operations
- Salaries
- Classroom Supplies
- Utilities
- Transportation
- Technology
- General Maintenance
Debt Services
- Capital Expenditures
- Land
- Construction/Renovations
- New Buses
Each budget is governed by specific guidelines detailing how it can be used, and each has a separate tax rate generated from local property taxes, which collectively comprise the district’s total tax rate.
Tax Rate
What is the impact of the 2026 Bond on the SCUC ISD Taxpayer?
The $295 million bond proposal is not anticipated to increase the 2025-2026 tax rate and would address safety and security updates, renovations and upgrades to current facilities, infrastructure replacements, stadium renovations and technology devices.
The SCUC ISD school district’s tax rate has decreased by over 33 cents since 2020-2021, a result of intentional adjustments made by the School Board and compression from the State of Texas.
The SCUC ISD Board of Trustees lowered the I&S tax rate by 6 cents to $0.41 for 2025-26. SCUC anticipates no tax increase for the first two years of the bond program. Even if SCUC ISD raises the I&S tax rate in the future, residents 65 years and older who apply for the Homestead Exemption will see no school tax increase as a result of the SCUC ISD bond proposal, as long as they make no significant improvements to their homesteads.
If the bond propositions are approved by voters, the district will sell bonds to fund projects as capacity allows and market interest rates are favorable. SCUC ISD will regularly share the progress of these bond projects.
If the propositions are rejected by voters, SCUC ISD would evaluate alternative ways to address certain identified projects. Some of these projects may need to be addressed using funds from the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budget. Using M&O dollars for these purposes would require the district to reassess current priorities within the operating budget, which could affect other expenditures, including student programs and staffing.