By Edmond Ortiz
Voters in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District will for a second straight year consider a property tax increase.
The SCUCISD school board voted Aug. 17 to call the special election Nov. 3. If approved by voters, the district would raise the maintenance and operations portion of its property tax rate 12 cents per $100 valuation. The current total tax rate is $1.07 per $100 valuation.
District officials said an approved property tax hike would increase the monthly tax bill of the average SCUCISD homeowner by $18. The current average home value in SCUCISD is $317,335. After exemptions, the average taxable value is $177,335.
According to SCUCISD leaders, such a tax hike would generate $15 million in additional, ongoing revenue each year to fund employee pay increases and student programs, including the preservation of fine arts, career and technical education and athletics programs, the maintenance of class sizes, and recruitment and retention of teachers and staff.
SCUCISD will join Northside, San Antonio, South San, and East Central independent school districts in holding a property tax increase – or tax ratification – election on Nov. 3, when voters will also mull Congressional, state legislative and local races. Northside, San Antonio and Comal ISDs also holding bond elections at the same time.
SCUCISD, Boerne, Judson and East Central ISDs proposed property tax increases in the November 2025 elections, with only Boerne ISD’s measure prevailing. Judson ISD officials have said they would forgo offering a similar proposal there this year.
Leaders in multiple Texas public school districts have argued that the state’s compression of school property tax rates, and lawmakers being slow to react to adequately fund teachers have contributed to the need for districts to pursue tax increases at the ballot box.
SCUCISD homeowners who qualify for an age 65 or older residence homestead tax ceiling would not see a rise in their frozen school district tax amount unless they make significant improvements to their homestead.
