Crandall ISD sets election to raise more dollars for teacher and employee pay, local schools

The Crandall ISD Board of Trustees has scheduled a School Funding Election for November 5, 2024. If approved, the election would provide additional funding for employee salaries, academic initiatives, and maintaining a safe environment on campuses.

School districts across Texas are facing fiscal challenges because funding from the state has not kept up with record-high inflation, which has driven up costs such as utilities and insurance leaving limited funds to provide salary increases.

Proposition A on the November ballot would raise about $6 million for Crandall ISD schools, and the Board of Trustees has expressed that a top priority for those funds will be increasing teacher and employee pay. If the Proposition does not pass, the district will receive no additional funding.

As required by state law, the Crandall ISD Board of Trustees has reduced the district’s tax rate by 37 cents per $100 property valuation since 2018. Proposition A would add back 12 cents to the rate, meaning that the tax rate would still be 25 cents lower than it was in 2018.

In addition, homeowners who are at least 65 or have a disability and have received a freeze on their property taxes would not see any increase in their school tax payments under Proposition A as long as they have not made substantial improvements to their property.

“Proposition A asks whether voters are willing to put more dollars into Crandall ISD schools in exchange for an increase in the property-tax rate,” said Dr. Anjanette Murry, Crandall ISD Superintendent. “These are dollars that would pay for operating costs, such as staff salaries, classroom instruction, and maintaining a safe environment on our campuses.”

Currently, the beginning pay for a teacher in Crandall ISD is $55,448. Other districts in the area that have previously held School Funding Elections offer higher starting salaries as well as higher salaries along each year of the scale, which makes it challenging for Crandall ISD to retain the best teachers and recruit new teachers for our growing district.

“Quality teachers are essential to learning,” Dr. Murry said. “We have great teachers in Crandall ISD, and we want to make sure that we are able to keep them here so that we can provide the best possible education to children in our community.”

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