Gasaway: MFISD tax increase essential to maintaining standards

Marble Falls school district voters might see higher taxes, but Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway sees brighter futures for his students. He and other district leaders are on a mission to educate voters leading up to a school funding election on Nov. 5.

On the ballot is a proposed 2.67-cent tax increase that would raise an additional $2.2 million, enough to cover a state funding shortfall and keep class sizes manageable and programs available to Marble Falls students.

If approved, the district’s base tax rate would increase from 88.78 cents per $100 property valuation to 91.45 cents per $100 property valuation. For reference, that would add about $8.90 per month in taxes on a home worth $400,000, the average house price in the district.

The revenue from the voter-approved tax rate election (VATRE) “is just to maintain current standards” in the Marble Falls Independent School District, Gasaway said.

“If we do not get help from the state with adjustments to the basic (student) allotment, if the VATRE were not to pass, we would be forced to make some difficult decisions,” he said.

According to Gasaway, the district’s current financial struggles are rooted in a stagnant per-student allotment from the state of Texas that has been eaten away by inflation.

The allotment is the calculated dollar amount needed to educate one student over a school year. Currently, that number is $6,160 per student, which hasn’t changed since 2019. Accounting for inflation, the allotment would have to be $7,578 to hold the same value in 2024. This amounts to a $1,418-deficit per student.

The annual student allotment is set by the Texas Legislature, which meets again in January 2025. 

On top of the deflated allotment, MFISD has lost almost 10 percent of its student enrollment since 2019, falling from about 4,400 to 4,023. 

Gasaway is concerned the funding shortfall will lead to larger class sizes as teaching positions are cut or teachers leave due to stagnant salaries. 

“I can say, over my 28 years, I know that anecdotally, the smaller the class size, the more attention a child can get from a teacher and the more involved they can be,” he said. “The teachers that have those smaller class sizes are able to make more meaningful connections (with students) and move their academic data in a manner that is stronger than in your larger class sizes.”

Gasaway’s experience aligns with several studies on the impact of class size on student achievement.

A 2005 study published in the Journal of Psychology found that students who spent at least four years in small class sizes, defined as 13-17 pupils, were about 80 percent more likely to graduate high school than those who were in larger class sizes.

Texas state standards allow for 22 students per teacher at the elementary level. A waiver is required to increase the student-to-teacher ratio. MFISD currently maintains the state standard.

Another study, from the U.S. Department of Education, showed average achievement scores (measured by state exam results) were higher in schools with smaller class sizes. These results were seen at all grade levels. 

Gasaway gave a presentation on the funding election to the Marble Falls City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 1, advocating for voter education on the VATRE above all else.

“As an old social studies teacher, the best thing we can have is when people step in the voting booth, it is an educated member of our society,” he told the council.

MFISD is holding three public education meetings on the voter-approved tax rate election in the Administration Building at 1800 Colt Circle:

• Oct. 5 at 11 a.m.
• Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.
• Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.

The district also launched a website dedicated to the tax increase: loveinspireachieve.com. The site includes a built-in tax rate calculator to determine what impact the proposed increase will have on your property tax bill.

One of the key takeaways from Gasaway’s message is that all $2.2 million that would be raised by the tax increase will go straight to the district. None of the funds would be subject to state recapture, more commonly known as “Robin Hood.”

Recapture is a state policy that sees a portion of taxes collected by school districts with higher property values sent to the state to help fund lower property value districts across the state.

The 2.67-cent increase is a part of the “golden pennies” policy, which allows school districts to have 8 cents worth of taxation that is not subject to recapture. If this increase passes, MFISD will have maxed out its golden pennies. 

The increase would support a budget that has already been stripped lean, according to Gasaway.

“We already have cut (the budget), and we feel like (the VATRE) gives voters an opportunity to weigh in on what their expectations are for class sizes, programming, and offerings we have at Marble Falls Independent School District,” Gasaway told DailyTrib.com in an interview following the VATRE announcement. “I hope that people will go into those voting booths well educated on all the issues.”

In an effort to maintain current class sizes and student programs, MFISD made the following adjustments in the 2024-25 fiscal year:

• passed a budget at a $1 million deficit with plans to draw upon its $16.5 million fund balance to fill the gap between revenue and expenditures;
• eliminated 11 positions, saving roughly $700,000;
• and reduced all department budgets by 10 percent, saving roughly $200,000.

Even with these changes, MFISD still needs an estimated $2.2 million to continue operating as normal this fiscal year. 

dakota@thepicayune.com