Questions

A Facility Advisory Committee consisting of parents, staff members, and community leaders toured the district and reviewed data to identify potential needs and make a recommendation regarding a bond election.

By law, bond funds cannot be used for payroll expenses or any daily operational costs such as utilities, supplies, fuel, and insurance.  Instead, bond funds can only be used for new buildings, additions and renovations, land acquisition, technology infrastructure and equipment, or school buses.

If voters approve the bond, the District’s Interest & Sinking (I&S) Tax Rate would increase $0.271, resulting in an estimated cost of $28.56 per month, or $342.71 annually, for the owner of a $226,310 homestead (the average value in RISD). This tax rate increase would have no impact on the current homesteads of district residents aged 65 and older who have 65 And Over Exemption filed with the county appraisal district (except for any new improvements).

No.  By law, if you receive an Age 65 or Older Exemption, your homestead tax rate cannot be raised above the frozen level unless you make significant improvements to your home.  A significant improvement would be anything beyond normal maintenance or repair, such as building a swimming pool or adding a garage or game room.

Under state law, if you have applied for and received the Age 65 Freeze on your homestead, your school taxes CANNOT be raised above their frozen level unless you make significant improvements or additions to your home. To apply for the Age 65 freeze, contact your county’s Central Appraisal District.

A school district’s tax rate is comprised of two components or “buckets”. The first bucket is the Maintenance and Operations budget (M&O), which funds daily costs and recurring or consumable expenditures such as teacher and staff salaries, supplies, software and utilities. The second bucket is the Interest and Sinking budget (I&S), also known as Debt Service, and that is for longer-term capital improvements approved by voters through bond elections. I&S funds cannot by law be used to pay M&O expenses, which means that voter-approved bonds cannot be used to increase teacher salaries or pay rising costs for utilities and services.

Early voting takes place from April 22 to April 29, and you can cast a ballot at any voting location during this time. Election Day is Saturday, May 3. Visit the Bowie County Elections website for a list of polling locations.

Anyone at least 18 years of age and living within the boundaries of Redwater ISD is eligible to vote.  You must be registered by April 3, 2025 in order to participate in this election.

You can check your voter registration status at www.votetexas.gov.

If you need to update your address, you can simply fill out the change online.