Texas school districts walk a tight line between educating and influencing or coercing voters to approve tax rate increases.
School boards are prohibited from using public tax dollars to influence election results that impact tax rates. Many school districts barely skirt the rules, spending money on printed and audio material that is supposed to educate the voter about the bond issue. Other groups hold meetings for parents after school hours that are said to be informational, but often threaten voters with consequences for their children if they don't vote in a manner that will benefit the school.
The Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) polices this activity and, since 2015, has fined 12 people more than $8,000 for using public funds to influence elections.
Former Lovejoy Independent School District Superintendent Ted Moore is one school administrator who has been fined for spending upwards of $5,000 on two videos promoting a property tax increase in 2016.
According to the Texas Business Coalition, the 18-page TEC report states that one of the videos used "animation and visuals and crosses the line from a description of the purposes of the measure to advocacy by comparing the cost of the tax increase to that of a takeout pizza." The TEC ultimately ruled, “There’s no reason to divide the yearly cost of the tax increase by 52 weeks and compare it to a minor indulgence except to minimize the cost to taxpayers …. The clear implication is that the LISD administrators that produced this video want the viewer to vote for the [tax ratification]."
It's not rare that questions of ethics are raised, but school boards are given training through seminars and printed documents that advise them on how they can and cannot educate voters about a tax election.
This continues to be an issue because if a school board votes to raise taxes by more than 4 cents per $100 property valuation, the voters must approve that increase in a tax ratification election.
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