Liberty Hill ISD Prop A
Frequently Asked Questions

About Prop A

    • Proposition A (Prop A) is a Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) scheduled for November 4, 2025. If approved, it would generate approximately $10 million for the 25/26 school year, which would go toward the district’s Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget. These funds may be used for day-to-day operations, such as teacher and staff salaries, student programming, classroom support, and safety measures.

    • For a median-valued home in Liberty Hill ISD (estimated $516,513 for 2025, after a $140,000 homestead exemption), Prop A would add about $1 per day, or $29 per month, in school taxes.

    • No. Bonds use the Interest & Sinking (I&S) budget to pay for buildings, major maintenance, and land. Prop A impacts the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget, which covers operating costs, such as salaries, utilities, and classroom programs.

Where the Money Would Go

  • The funds would be divided into three main areas:

    Restore student programs - Up to $7.2 million

    • Hire teaching positions that were impacted by cuts in areas such as Gifted & Talented (GT), ESL, STEM, Library, and Behavior support

    • Reduce class sizes by restoring planning time at middle and high schools

    • Add back campus and department budgets that were cut

    • Fund approximately 25 additional operations staff, including bus drivers, custodians, maintenance, and monitors

    Fund school safety and security - Up to $1.3 million

    • Maintain a School Resource Officer (SRO) on every campus, as required by state law

    • Fund panic alert technology and student device monitoring

    • Strengthen cybersecurity protections for district systems

    Recruit and retain high-quality staff - Up to $2.2 million

    • Provide a 1% raise at the midpoint for all staff

    • Offer a one-time retention stipend for staff employed by September 30, 2025

    (These numbers are estimates)

District Finances

    • Since 2019, costs such as insurance, fuel, and utilities have increased more than 21%, while the state’s basic allotment has increased less than 1%. This mismatch has created recurring deficits.

    • The fund balance is the district's savings account. If the district continues to spend money from its fund balance, it will eventually run out of money.

    • The state recommends districts keep three months of operating expenses in reserve (approximately $25 million for LHISD). As of September 2025, the district’s fund balance is about $13 million—roughly half of the recommended level.

    • Texas uses a “funding cup” model. Local property taxes from both homeowners and businesses fill the cup first. The state then adds money until the set per-student funding level is reached. Additional local tax revenue reduces the state’s share, but it does not increase the size of the cup.

    • The state allocated new funding from the passing of House Bills, but it was earmarked for specific requirements such as teachers’ raises and CTE programs.

    • Most of the funds earmarked still fall short of fully funding the cost of required programs or offsetting the increased inflationary costs for insurance or utilities. For LHISD, these funds did not fully cover rising costs, leaving shortfalls. 

    • Land sales would provide a one-time source of money. Prop A would provide recurring revenue for annual operations. Land in growing areas must also be retained for future schools.

    • If approved, Prop A would assist in covering recurring operating costs, which would allow the district to begin rebuilding its reserves over time.

Pass Vs. Fail

    • Funds would be allocated to restore student programs and staffing, meet safety requirements, and provide employee stipends and raises.

  • The district projects that at least $3 million in additional cuts would be required in Spring 2026. Options under consideration include:

    • Not opening Legacy Ranch Middle School

    • Not open Lariat Trails Elementary in the Lariat subdivision

    • Reducing transportation routes

    • Increasing class sizes

    • Sharing campus staff such as SROs, nurses, and counselors

    • Charging higher facility rental fees

    • Requiring students to pay to participate in extracurricular activities

Staffing and Pay

    • Teachers received 7-10% raises under HB2 in 2025. Prop A would fund an additional 1% at mid-point raise for all employees and a one-time retention stipend for employees hired before September 30, 2025.

    • Approximately 70 teaching and paraprofessional positions and 25 operational and support staff positions.

    (These numbers are estimates)

Voting FAQs

Tax FAQs

  • Public school taxes involve two figures which divide the school district’s budget into two “buckets.”

    • The first is the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget, also known as the General Fund. This is used to pay for the day-to-day operations of a district and includes items such as salaries, utilities, food, gas, supplies, etc.

    • The second is the Interest & Sinking (I&S) budget or Debt Service. This fund is used to repay debt for capital improvements approved by voters through bond elections. This fund is similar to a mortgage or home improvement loan.

    By law, I&S funds cannot be used for the M&O budget, which means voter-approved bonds cannot be used to increase salaries or to pay for rising costs of utilities or services.

    For a detailed breakdown, please visit the LHISD Budget Basics webpage here.

  • Property owners may qualify for a general residence homestead exemption, for the applicable portion of that tax year, immediately upon owning and occupying the property as their principal residence, if the preceding owner did not receive the exemption that tax year.

    Requirements are a Texas issued Driver License or Identification card showing your current physical address.

    Exemptions:

    • General Residence Homestead Exemption

    • Over 65 Exemption

    • 100% Disabled Veteran Exemption

    • Disabled Persons Exemption

    To learn more about homestead exemption in Williamson County, visit their exemption webpage.

  • Homeowners 65 years of age and older will see no increase in their tax rate as long as they have filed for their senior citizen homestead exemption.

    • Learn more about Williamson County homestead exemptions on their exemptions webpage here.

Other Questions

    • No, and the district has not spent $3M on this software in the past.

  • The academic calendar is developed annually with staff, parent, and community input. Feedback for the 2026–27 calendar will be gathered in the fall semester, and the Board of Trustees will approve a final version in February 2026.

  • Liberty Hill ISD actively applies for available state and federal funding to enhance safety and security across all campuses. Since 2023, the district has received several competitive grants through the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Office of School Safety and other state programs:

    • Silent Panic Alert Technology (SPAT) Grant – $20,951 (Ended June 30, 2024)

      • Funded the installation of silent panic alert systems that provide direct notification to law enforcement and first responders during emergencies.

    • School Safety Standards Formula Grant – $366,070 (Ends April 2026)

      • Supports upgrades that help the district meet or exceed TEA’s minimum safety standards, including improvements to secure entry systems, communication devices, and door hardware. After the district certifies that it complies with all safety standards, the funds may be used for other safety initiatives. 

    • Safety and Facilities Enhancement (SAFE) Grant – Cycle 2 – $359,882 (Ends August 31, 2026)

      • Provides funding for allowable safety projects such as fencing, radios, and other infrastructure improvements. After the district certifies that it complies with all safety standards, the funds may be used for other safety initiatives.

    • Resistant Body Armor Grant – $14,084.93

      • Provides protective equipment for Liberty Hill ISD police officers to strengthen emergency response capabilities.

    In 2023, the district also began the application process for the SAFE Grant – Cycle 1. After the Texas Education Agency updated the list of allowable expenditures, several items identified in the district’s needs assessment were no longer awarded in that cycle.

    This grant could primarily be used to improve existing facilities to meet TEA’s updated safety standards and could not be reallocated for other safety initiatives. 

    The remaining application steps were not completed before the submission deadline, and staff involved in the grant process are no longer with the district. Those funds were later reallocated by the state into cycle 2.

    To strengthen coordination and ensure all future opportunities are fully managed, Liberty Hill ISD now uses Sentinel, TEA’s online platform for tracking and managing safety compliance and grant opportunities.

    The district remains committed to transparency and to continuously improving the safety and security of students and staff across all campuses.

    Resources:

  • Why was the Higginbotham building purchased?

    The Higginbotham property was purchased by Liberty Hill ISD in September 2024 to meet the district’s ongoing need for additional operational space. As Liberty Hill ISD continues to grow, existing facilities have reached capacity.

    The new building enables the district to consolidate several departments that are currently operating in separate or temporary spaces, thereby improving efficiencies.

    In the 2023 Bond, LHISD voters approved building a new operations facility for a cost of $12 million. The Higginbotham location was purchased for $3.6 million. The design and construction costs for renovating this existing facility are estimated to be $2 million. This will save taxpayers approximately $6 million.

    What is the project timeline?

    • September 2024: Property purchased

    • March 2025: Final design completed following meetings with department stakeholders

    • June 2025: Construction manager approved

    • October 2025: Construction contract in final stages, and construction planned to begin

    • March 2026: Project completion

      • Completion date subject to change based on the availability of materials and services

    What will the renovated facility be used for?

    The renovated building will serve as a consolidated operations and administrative facility. It is intended to house multiple departments, including maintenance, custodial, facilities, safety, police, health services, and allow for a large meeting space that can be used by district staff and the community.

    Additionally, this facility has large storage areas that will allow the district to buy items in bulk at more cost-effective prices and deliver them as needed to campuses and departments.

    This streamlined collaboration supports efficient day-to-day district functions. The design incorporates feedback from department leaders to ensure it meets both immediate and long-term space needs.

  • What was the purpose of the Milliken trip?

    The Milliken trip focused on leadership development for campus and district-level leaders in Liberty Hill ISD. Starting in November 2023, district and campus staff began planning the potential trip to Milliken, finalizing the dates in December 2023 for a summer leadership initiative. 

    In June 2024, several leaders were offered targeted professional learning in areas such as developing core values, innovation, branding, communication, and building a leadership pipeline.

    These leadership principles were incorporated throughout the year-long professional learning for campus and district leaders and are still used through this current school year. Milliken staff remained fully engaged throughout, facilitating sessions and supporting LHISD-led learning opportunities. Milliken is rated one of the top ethical companies in the world and has remained at this high level through innovation and leadership.  

    How much did the trip cost the district?

    The cost of the training was free.

    The only cost to Liberty Hill ISD was the airfare to Milliken’s headquarters. Once on-site, all lodging, meals, local travel, and professional development were provided free of charge by Milliken.

    Liberty Hill ISD professional learning travel guidelines were updated in July 2024 to not allow out-of-state professional learning without Superintendent or Board approval.