MPISD Tax Rate Is Less Than Projected

As you know, the Mount Pleasant ISD $55 million school bond passed in May of this year. With the funds from the bond, MPISD will do safety and security upgrades at all campuses across the district and major renovations with some new construction at Mt. Pleasant High School. We are extremely appreciative of the support from our community, and we have been working hard on the planning and design of the upgrades to our schools. Our belief is that our students will grow academically with a much-improved learning environment, and we will all reap the benefits of continued student success.

When we began the arduous process of preparing for the bond, we knew that we had a hard sell to make and that our tax rate would be the main point of concern for our taxpayers. With Luminant officially closing, we also understood that our tax base had taken a hit and many people would be concerned about how much it would affect those of you that already have a great burden because of property taxes. With that in mind, we held four public meetings about the school bond and answered every question asked about our efforts and how it would affect you financially. Trust from our community is very important, so we gave the worst case tax scenario because we wanted to make sure that you understood what the tax rate could be if the bond passed.

We projected a $0.23 tax increase if the bond passed and assured you that we would do everything possible to adopt a lower rate. After much work on the 2019-2020 MPISD school budget, we are pleased to give you good news. Last year’s MPISD combined tax rate was $1.218 and this year’s combined tax rate is $1.34. This means that instead of a $0.23 tax increase you will only see a $.122 tax increase for the 2019-2020 tax year. This tax increase is almost half of what we told you it would be. Our hope is that you are proud of the work that our district has put into this budget and that you will help us celebrate the success of the bond and the opportunity to improve our school district.

Judd Marshall
Mt. Pleasant ISD Superintendent