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Northside ISD weighs its next steps after voters reject its tax increase and bonds
Prop A would have paid for staff raises
- $45 million
- a year Prop A would have generated
- $35 million
- of that was meant for employee pay
- 2%
- raises for teachers and other certified staff
- $15
- minimum hourly wage for support workers
If you have a kid in Northside ISD, or work there, here's where things stand. Voters rejected all four propositions on election day: the Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE, or Prop A) and almost $900 million in bonds for an aquatic center, renovations, buses and technology.
Interim Superintendent Jessica Palomares says the district is looking at its current budget for places to re-prioritize.
“There's going to be some tough decisions we're going to have to make but we are going to be transparent in the process and we're going to involve our community.”
Jessica Palomares, Northside ISD interim superintendent
- Next step: review the current budget and efficiency audits
- School closures: no formal decisions yet
- Students living in Northside ISD who applied for TEFA: 7,077
It's unclear whether staff raises are possible without that money. Melina Espiritu-Azocar, president of the Northside American Federation of Teachers, says the union will regroup. She says Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa told members "help is on the way."
