2026 election: Central Texas school districts put bonds, tax rates, board positions on the ballot

AUSTIN, Texas - Eleven Central Texas school districts have called for elections this fall.

Two school districts, Comal ISD and Manor ISD, are seeking a combined $967 million in bonds for a variety of improvements, including facility and technology upgrades.

Five districts have called for a VATRE, or Voter Approval Tax Rate Election, including Bastrop ISD, Coupland ISD, Del Valle ISD, Georgetown ISD, and Leander ISD.

Many of those districts say they called for a VATRE due to deficits in their budgets caused by increased costs and lack of additional state funding.

Four school districts are also holding elections for board members, including Harper ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Round Rock ISD, and Wimberley ISD.

Which Central Texas school districts have called elections for November 2026?

Big picture view:

The deadline for getting a bond, VATRE or candidate on the November ballot was August 17.

Districts are listed in alphabetical order.

Bastrop ISD

Bastrop ISD has called for a VATRE to change the district's property tax rate.

The school board voted to adopt the recommended new tax rate of $1.0809, pending voter approval. 

The district says that the increased tax rate would result in about $6 million more in annual revenue based on current school finance formulas.

The new tax rate would be an increase of 1.3 cents to the district's Maintenance & Operations rate.

Bastrop ISD says that its tax rate has decreased almost 38 cents from the 2018-19 school year to the 2025-26 school year.

For a home valued at about $378,000, this would be an annual property tax increase of $32, says the district.

For more information on the VATRE and to calculate the impact on your taxes, click here.

Comal ISD

Comal ISD is requesting voters approve two bond propositions totaling $567 million to address safety and security, aging facilities, growth in enrollment, transportation and technology upgrades.

Proposition A — $539,955,000

Prop A, if approved, would fund:

• Safety and security improvements, including surveillance cameras, secure entry vestibules, upgraded door hardware and card-reader access controls
• Replacement of aging buses, including some with more than 200,000 miles and no seat belts, with buses equipped with seat belts
• Replacement and modernization of aging heating and cooling, roofing, electrical and plumbing systems
• Energy-efficiency improvements intended to reduce operating costs
• Two new elementary schools along the I-35 corridor near New Braunfels
• Land for future school sites
• Additional instructional space at Canyon High School
• A multipurpose addition at Davenport High School
• Career and Technical Education spaces and other campus improvements districtwide

Proposition B — $27,045,000

Prop B, if approved, would fund:

• Replacement of student laptops and classroom devices on a planned schedule
• Upgrades to the district’s network infrastructure
• Improvements to network speed, connectivity, reliability and security

The district says that it has added about 10,000 students over the last decade and expects its enrollment to exceed 40,000 by 2035.

Comal ISD also says that both propositions can be financed within its existing tax rate, which is the lowest it has been in 30 years.

For more information on the bond, click here.

Coupland ISD

Coupland ISD is calling for a VATRE to help support its first secondary campus in nearly 80 years.

The new campus opened on Aug 11 and will initially serve grades 7–9, with one additional grade level added each year until the campus reaches full capacity.

This means that, for the first time in nearly a century, the district is operating two campuses.

The district says that with this new campus comes new ongoing costs such as staff salaries, programs, transportation, utilities, technology and supplies, and safety.

The district is proposing adding three cents to the Maintenance & Operations tax rate, which would generate nearly $263,000 in additional revenue.

The new tax rate, if approved, will sit at $1.192200.

A home valued at $190,000 would see a property tax increase of about $15 a year, while a home valued at $390,000 would see an increase of about $75 a year.

For more information on the VATRE, click here.

Del Valle ISD

Del Valle ISD is calling for a VATRE to raise almost $14 million in new funding for teacher and staff raises and to support programs and new staff for a new high school set to open in 2028.

The new funding would provide a pay increase to about 2,000 employees and fund staff at North Del Valle High School.

The district says it is facing a $10 million budget deficit due to years of inflation, underfunded mandates, increased costs and not enough state funding.

DVISD has also cut about $19 million from its budget over the last two years, but says that almost 90% of its budget is earmarked for teacher and staff salaries, and that without the rate increase, more cuts would need to be made.

Proposition A seeks to approve a tax rate of $1.0328 per $100 valuation.

DVISD says that based on the average home value of $233,000 in the district, the property tax impact would be $0.76 per month for the average homeowner, or roughly $9 per year.

For more information on the VATRE, click here.

Georgetown ISD

Georgetown ISD has called for a VATRE to help provide more revenue for teacher/staff salaries, student programs, instructional support and required services.

If approved, Proposition A would generate about $8.4 million for maintenance and operations expenses. Teachers could see pay increases between 3.5 and 4%, while other staff could see increases of 3%.

Proposition A seeks to approve a tax rate of $1.1106 per $100 valuation, or a six-cent overall increase. The Maintenance & Operations portion would go up nine cents, while the Interest & Sinking rate would go down three cents.

If voters turn down Prop A, the tax rate would return to $1.0506.

GISD's tax calculator shows that a home valued at $444,465 (taxable at $304,465 with a homestead exemption) would see an annual tax bill difference of $7.97, or 66 cents a month.

For more information on the VATRE, click here.

Harper ISD

Harper ISD has called for an election for four of its school board positions.

All positions are "at-large", meaning each board member represents the entire school district, which includes Gillespie, Kerr and Kimble counties.

After the election, the Board will then elect a President, Vice President and Secretary to serve a two-year term.

Current board members Mary Krebs, Bill Bacon, and Paul Anderson are running for re-election, with Timothy Holmes and John Fogle also in the running.

Current board member Quentin Bierschwale is not running for re-election.

For more information, including precincts, click here.

Leander ISD

Leander ISD has called for a VATRE to help provide more revenue for day-to-day expenses, including instructional programs, student services and staff salaries.

If approved, Proposition A would generate about $6.7 million after recapture for the district.

Proposition A seeks to approve a tax rate of $1.1169 per $100 valuation, or a three-cent increase.

If voters turn down Prop A, the tax rate would return to $1.0869, which it has been since the 2024-25 school year. The district says that since 2019, its tax rate has dropped 35 cents.

Leander ISD says it has undergone $26 million in reductions, but despite that, the 2026-27 adopted budget still has a deficit of about $9.9 million. If Prop A passes, that deficit will drop to about $3.2 million.

LISD says that a home with an average taxable value of $460,292 would see a projected increase of about $2.30 a month or $27.56 a year.

For more information on the VATRE, click here.

Manor ISD

Manor ISD is requesting voters approve two bond propositions totaling $400 million to address revamping facilities, updating outdated technology, and modernizing campus infrastructure.

Proposition A — $391.5 million

MISD has broken up Prop A into four parts:

Optimize Facility Use: $237.03M

• Expanding Manor New Tech High School to increase capacity by 450 seats
• Rebuilding Bluebonnet Trail Elementary, which is over 30 years old and hasn't seen a major renovation since 2008
• Adding a wing to the Manor HS campus to make it a 9th-12th grade campus
• Adding new multipurpose classroom and fine arts areas for Band, Choir and Theatre programs at Manor HS
• Renovating Manor HS 9th grade campus into a home for the district's 18+ Transition Program

Facilities and Equipment Upgrades: $140.27M

• Upgrading districtwide infrastructure, such as HVAC, electrical, plumbing and more
• Renovating/upgrading Decker Elementary, which is over 25 years old and hasn't seen a major renovation since 2015
• Addressing renovation project backlog at Blake Manor Elementary
• Renovating Manor HS 9th grade campus to also house Manor Excel Academy program
• Renovating the Manor Early Education Learning Center to house the Manor Alternative Program

Safety & Security: $10.5M

• Audio enhancement panic alert systems at elementary schools
• Perimeter fencing upgrades
• Expanded security camera coverage
• Lockdown buttons and enhanced badge systems
• Door relocations and card-reader access controls
• Police radios and equipment
• Network infrastructure upgrades and software subscriptions
• Intercom and emergency communication equipment and public address (PA) system upgrades

New Buses: $3.7M

• 39% of its current buses are not fully equipped with seatbelts; starting in 2029, state laws will require this
• 56, or 64% of its current buses, are approaching or past its useful life

Proposition B — $8.5 million

Prop B is earmarked specifically to replace outdated student and staff devices.

MISD says that just over half of the district's devices are 7 to 10 years old and have either reached or exceeded their expected useful life.

If Prop A and Prop B are approved, the tax rate will increase by almost four cents; however, due to decreasing property values, the average homeowner will not see an overall increase in their tax bill.

On an average MISD home with a taxable value of $331,764, Prop A and B are expected to drop the tax bill by $9.56 a month compared to the previous year.

For more information on the bond, click here.

Pflugerville ISD

Pflugerville ISD has called for an election for two of its school board positions.

All positions are "at-large", meaning each board member represents the entire school district for a three-year term.

After the election, the Board will then elect a President, Vice President and Secretary to serve a one-year term.

Places 6 and 7 will be on the November ballot, spots currently held by Board President Chevonne Lorigo-Johst and Jean Mayer.

For more information on the board election, click here.

Round Rock ISD

Round Rock ISD has called for an election for four of its school board positions.

All positions are "at-large", meaning each board member represents the entire school district for a four-year term.

Places 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be on the November ballot, spots currently held by Amber Landrum, Board President Alicia Markum, Amy Weir, and Fabian Cuero.

For more information on the board election, click here.

Wimberley ISD

Wimberley ISD has called for an election for two of its school board positions.

Places 6 and 7 will be on the November ballot, spots currently held by Lexi Jones and Vice President Ken Strange.

For more information on the board election, click here.

Important dates for 2026 election

What's next:

Here are the important dates for the November 2026 election:

• Last Day to Register to Vote — Monday, Oct. 5
• First Day of Early Voting — Monday, Oct. 19
• Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (received, not postmarked) — Friday, Oct. 23
• Last Day of Early Voting — Friday, Oct. 30
• Last Day to Receive Ballot by Mail — Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 at 7 p.m. if a carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. if carrier envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. at the location of the election on Nov. 3 (unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply)
• Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 3

For more information on how to register and vote in Texas, click here.

2026 ElectionsEducationBastropComal CountyCouplandDel ValleGeorgetownHarperLago VistaLeanderManorPflugervilleRound RockWimberleyPoliticsMoney