Building Trust
Balancing student needs with relief for taxpayers.
Strong Schools Start With Strong Communities
We recognize the financial challenges that many families face and are constantly exploring ways to sustain our schools without placing an undue burden on our taxpayers. Still, the district relies on local tax collections for 56% of the operating budget.
The average market value in HEB ISD is $255,398.
The average homeowner pays:
$1,717.81 (M&O) + $756.74 (I&S) = a combined tax payment of $2,474.55.
Your contributions to the local tax collections are vital to ensuring our community continues to provide outstanding education opportunities for the students of HEB ISD.
Two Parts To The Tax Rate
Public school tax rates are made up of two parts: Maintenance & Operations (M&O) and Interest & Sinking (I&S)
The total school taxes due equals the total school tax rate multiplied by the assessed value of the property then divided by 100.
Maintenance & Operations (M&O)
The M&O tax rate is added to the I&S tax rate to create a district’s overall school tax rate. M&O tax collections help pay for expenses like salaries, supplies, utilities and other daily operating costs.
VATREs Impact M&O
When school districts ask voters to consider an increase in the M&O rate to fund daily operations, they call a Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election or VATRE.
Interest & Sinking (I&S)
I&S tax collections may only be used to pay down debt for school improvements, construction and interest incurred when voters approve a school bond election.
Bond Elections Impact I&S
When school districts ask voters to consider layering in new debt for new schools, capital improvements, land, technology or buses, they call a school bond election.
HEB ISD does not determine the value of the homes in the district because property values are determined by the market and set by the Tarrant Appraisal District. Many people believe that school operating budgets benefit from increases in local property values, but state funding actually decreases when property values increase.
School Tax Rate Drops 38 Cents
Due to changes in the state’s tax laws and conservative budgeting at the local level, HEB ISD’s M&O rate dropped 38 cents in the past decade. As the district layered in debt for the voter-approved 2023 bond program, the I&S rate went up slightly from 2023-2024 to the current year. The increase from last year to this year was a little over four cents overall.
