Who are we?
“We Are Eanes” is an initiative sponsored by Committed 2 Excellence (C2E), a district-wide community PAC of parents, empty nesters, and business leaders dedicated to advocating for EISD. We believe in protecting our community’s investments, funding our school’s critical needs, and preserving our long tradition of academic excellence for our kids.
Why does WeAreEanes need my support?
While the school district is able to present information on proposed bonds or other funding mechanisms, they are forbidden by law to advocate for its passage when it’s time to vote. Established in 2014,we are a non-partisan, parent-led GPAC devoted to advocacy for our schools, our teachers and our children by ensuring the district has the funding it needs. Your donation helps to pay for signs, mailers, website maintenance and all that goes into community outreach to support and advocate for Eanes ISD. Originally founded as Committed 2 Excellence we are now known as WeAreEanes.
Why does my ballot state that my property tax rate will increase if you’re telling me it won’t?
Texas State law passed in 2019 (SB30) requires the ballot language of every public school bond proposal to include the phrase “This is a property tax increase,” regardless of whether the tax rate is actually going up. However, Eanes has clearly stated that the 2023 Eanes ISD bond proposals WILL NOT increase the district’s tax rate.
What’s the difference? Your property taxes may go up due to an increase in your home’s value or other market factors outside of the school district’s control. That is very different than an increase in your property tax rate.
Why do we need three separate propositions for one bond?
In addition to the misleading ballot language about raising property taxes, SB30 also created a distinction among “general purpose” propositions, “special purpose” propositions, and propositions related to the acquisition or update of certain technology equipment. The law requires that proposed bond projects be broken into separate propositions based on these categories.
Do we really need updates to our stadium, as proposed in Prop B?
Like any other facility, equipment ages and needs repair or replacement. UIL requires our facilities (including the track, turf, stands, etc.) meet certain standards in order to host games, meets, and other events. Our stadium supports a myriad of school organizations in addition to football. Band, Hyline, cheer, track & field, soccer, the audio/visual team, CERT and more all utilize the stadium. Additionally, Eanes ISD welcomes organizations/groups to rent their facilities. From sporting events to business meetings, Eanes ISD generates over $500,000 annually on facility rentals. That money is revenue that is not subject to recapture a nd goes directly to our school’s budget.
Why do we need to pass bonds? Isn’t our property tax money enough?
The short answer is that school districts are funded by property taxes, much of which go directly to the State of Texas, and school bonds are a mechanism to keep more tax dollars local to pay for critical items such as teacher and staff salaries. In fact, for every $1 collected from taxpayers, Eanes ISD only gets to keep approximately $0.36 in its Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget. Texas recapture law requires the other $0.64 of every property tax dollar we pay be given away to a Texas “general fund’. On the bond side, for every $1 received, Eanes ISD keeps 100 percent. New construction and certain infrastructure can only be funded with bonds. M&O money funds day-to-day expenses, such as teacher salaries and campus utilities. Passing school bonds protects what money the state doesn’t take to be used for these important items.
Why the need for such a large bond package this time?
For one thing, inflation has substantially increased costs for construction, lending rates, etc. requiring a much larger bond in the current market. In addition the District identified new Maintenance & Operation (M&O) expenses that now qualify as bond expenses, allowing Eanes to cut items in its M&O budget to preserve funds for other critical needs. As a result of these new investments, Eanes is projecting an annual savings of $2.9 million.
For more information on Texas school funding, here are some helpful articles:
https://www.tasb.org/members/enhance-district/school-bond-support/