On August 15, 2024, the Victoria ISD Board of Trustees approved a proposed tax rate of $0.8935 per $100 of taxable value during their regular monthly meeting. This rate exceeds the maximum allowable tax rate by 9 cents, triggering a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE) scheduled for November 5, 2024.
If approved by voters, the VATRE will generate approximately $7 million in additional annual funding for the district. These funds will be allocated to the 2024-25 Compensation Plan, Version Two, addressing the pressing need to bring staff compensation in line with market rates.
In May 2024, the Board approved the 2024-25 Compensation Plan, Version One, which allocated $4 million from the general fund budget to increase staff compensation across the district. Together, the two versions of the Compensation Plan aim to provide a total of $11 million in raises. Teachers with five or more years of experience would see an annual increase of $7,000, while classified and paraprofessional staff would receive a $2 per hour pay raise, an entry-level aide position would go from $11 an hour to $13 an hour.
This VATRE marks the second in VISD’s history. The first, held in November 2021, received voter approval and resulted in a three-cent increase to the district's budget, which was used to increase wages for all district employees—a continuing priority for the Board.
For more information about the VATRE, please visit https://www.visd.net/vatre.