Northside ISD may go after tax rate hike, bond package in Nov. 3 election

As Northside Independent School District predicts at least 1,300 fewer students enrolling next school year, the district may ask voters to raise its property tax rate and support a bond issue in the fall.

In Texas, school funding is awarded based on how many students show up for class each day - less kids means fewer resources for a district to work with. That's one of the reasons San Antonio's largest school district is considering a voter-approved tax rate election for the Nov. 3 ballot.

Also in the works is a modest bond issue. In 2022, Northside voters approved a $992 million bond to fund the construction of a new elementary and many projects at existing district campuses. Officials anticipate a bond closer to $400 million being put to voters this fall. A district wish list has more than $2.3 billion in projects on it including building or roof replacements and security upgrades.

Debate over how to maintain aging buildings and deal with enrollment losses comes as Northside leaders attempt to whittle down a $38 million deficit in its $1 billion annual budget. District officials recently broached the possibility of school closures.

"The challenge with a bond...where do we draw that line?" Superintendent John Craft said this week to a district finance committee, including school board vice president Sonia Jasso and trustee Laura Zapata.

The district has not decided how it would spend funds generated from the tax rate increase. Officials believe they would seek an increase of 3 cents to its tax rate, which currently stands at $1.0049 per $100 valuation of property. Northside lists a 2026 total taxable valuation of $75.8 billion on its tax rate data page.

Northside ISD enrollment losses

The 77-year-old district reached peak enrollment of nearly 107,000 students in the 2019-20 school year. But it immediately lost about 4,000 students when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and has since dwindled to 97,620 students currently. For the 2026-27 budget, Northside officials forecast a districtwide fall enrollment of just above 96,000 students.

That preliminary figure doesn't factor any families using newly available state vouchers, which will allow families to use public dollars to pay for private school tuition.

"The hard part is, how do you estimate the impact of vouchers?" Craft said.

State legislative analyses have projected some districts could lose between 1% and 5% of students. In Northside, that would mean a drop of nearly 1,000 to 5,000 children.

Using data from the Texas Education Agency, Northside officials estimate the district already has about 18,400 school-age children within its boundaries who are not attending NISD schools. That includes 16,500 enrolled at charter schools.

Other factors in the enrollment decline include rising home prices and a shortage of land still available for development. The district recorded its largest cohorts of kindergarten students 10-15 years ago. But since the pandemic, it's had more high school graduates than children in kindergarten, officials said.

Asking voters for a tax rate increase

One step toward calling a tax-rate election is an efficiency audit comparing Northside to other urban districts. District leaders will ask the school board to hire an auditor in the spring. Trustees will then have to take critical action this summer to adopt a 2027 budget and decide whether to go after the tax vote and bond election.

If the tax proposal fails, the district would have to reduce its budget.

Last year, Northside slashed a $100 million budget deficit to $50 million. This year, district leaders hope to tighten or eliminate a $38 million spending gap, starting with efficiencies in software contracts and by using state-supported programming and instructional materials. The district also is awaiting results of a compensation study and a facilities optimization report that could identify further savings.

Of five local ballot proposals for school tax-rate increases last Nov. 4, only one, in Boerne ISD, was approved by voters. Propositions in the Judson, East Central, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City and LaVernia ISDs lost.

Northside's 2022 bond issue, which included $45 million for a new elementary school; more than $645 million to replace or reconstruct facilities at existing campuses; and over $207 million for infrastructure upgrades, passed with 57% support.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 10:06 PM.