The short answer: Cy-Fair ISD voters rejected a 9-cent net tax increase and $1.63 billion in bonds on Nov. 3, according to unofficial results, so that district's school rate stays put. Spring, Channelview, Crosby, Huffman, La Porte and dozens of MUDs also had measures. Passing one raises the rate on homes in that district; failing one leaves it unchanged and forces the district to cut, wait or ask again.
How do school tax-rate and bond propositions change a homeowner's bill?
A tax-rate election (a VATRE) raises the maintenance and operations rate, which pays salaries, buses and day-to-day costs. A bond raises the debt rate, which repays money borrowed for buildings, technology and equipment, and bond money can't pay salaries. Each proposition is decided on its own, so a district can pass some and fail others.
Your school bill is your taxable value, after exemptions, divided by 100 and multiplied by the rate. Homeowners 65 or older, or with a disability exemption, generally have their school tax capped at a ceiling, so a rate increase doesn't raise that school bill unless the home gets significant improvements. Our Texas property tax guide walks through the math.
This post doesn't take a side on any measure. It explains what was on the ballot and what each outcome does to a Houston-area home. Results below are unofficial until the counties canvass them.
What did Cy-Fair ISD voters decide, and what does it mean for homes in Cypress?
Cy-Fair ISD voters rejected all five propositions, according to unofficial results reported Tuesday night and Wednesday. Reports say none of them got more than about 37% support. Per-proposition counts weren't available when this was written.
| Proposition | What it would have done | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| A | Raise the operating rate by 12 cents per $100 (pay, class sizes, campus safety, buses) | About $103.6 million a year (about $83.4 million local plus $20.2 million state) |
| B | Buildings, HVAC and roofing, safety, cybersecurity, buses | $1.29952 billion |
| C | Student and teacher technology | $256.075 million |
| D | Stadium turf, track resurfacing, scoreboards | $60.8 million |
| E | Pool pumps and re-plastering | $20.125 million |
If all five had passed, the projected net increase was 9 cents per $100, because the debt rate was expected to fall from $0.40 to $0.37, for a projected total of $1.1569. The district's example was a $350,000 home with about $140,000 in taxable value after exemptions: roughly $126 a year (about $10.50 a month) for all five, or about $168 a year for Proposition A alone.
What failing means for your home: your Cy-Fair school tax rate stays where it was set, so there's no new increase to add to a payment estimate. The district has said it faces a projected $80.9 million shortfall and has cut about $94 million since the 2024-25 budget year. Superintendent Douglas Killian said the district accepts the voters' decision and will reassess its options, and staff will prepare a zero-based budget for 2027-28. Expect decisions about class sizes, staffing and deferred facility work to come out of that process. How those choices affect any one neighborhood's home values is a judgment call, and nobody can promise it either way.
What was on the ballot in Spring ISD, Channelview, Crosby, Huffman and La Porte?
Spring ISD Proposition A asked to raise the operating rate from $1.1369 to $1.1569, a 2-cent increase. The district estimated about $5.6 million in local revenue plus about $9.9 million in additional state funding, roughly $15.5 million. It estimated about $55 a year on a $250,000 home before exemptions and under $5 a month with a homestead exemption, and the superintendent put it nearer $22 a year in one interview. It can't fund construction.
Channelview ISD had five propositions: A for operations plus four bonds. The district's own numbers for its $215,365 average home (about $75,365 taxable) show $724.79 a year now and $841.37 if all five had passed, an increase of $116.58 a year ($9.72 a month).
| Scenario | Projected rate per $100 |
|---|---|
| No election | $0.8911 |
| Proposition A only | $0.9611 |
| Bonds B to E only | $1.0464 |
| All five | $1.1164 |
The Channelview bonds were B ($106.825 million for facilities), C ($19.08 million for technology), D ($8.815 million for an athletic complex) and E ($30.42 million for recreational facilities). The district's rule of thumb is about $225 a year per $100,000 of taxable value if all of it passed.
Crosby ISD asked for $98.28 million for facilities and $110 million for a new middle school. Huffman ISD (proposed rate $1.0637) and La Porte ISD (proposed rate $1.0673) each had a Proposition A on rates.
If these passed: the new rate applies to every taxable home in the district, and bond debt stays on the tax rate for years. If they failed: the rate stays put, and the district has to cut, wait or come back to voters. I didn't find confirmed results for these districts when this was written. A Houston Chronicle headline reported that Houston-area voters rejected school tax increases and bond measures, but check your district's election page or the Harris County Clerk for your exact result.
What do MUD and special-district bond measures mean for new-construction buyers?
A municipal utility district (MUD) can only build water, sewer, drainage, roads and parks if voters approve bonds, and it repays them with a MUD tax charged on top of school, county and city taxes. In Harris County the Nov. 3 ballot included MUD 130, MUD 189, MUD 553, MUD 585, Intercontinental Crossing MUD, West Harris County MUD 15 and Weston MUD. Montgomery County had MUDs 94, 187, 228, 264, 265A and 265B, East Montgomery County MUD 8A and 8B and Walnut Creek MUD, plus the Northeast Regional Management District. Galveston County MUD 58 and MUD 71 were on the ballot too, with MUD 71 asking for more than $1 billion.
If a MUD measure passed: infrastructure gets financed, and the MUD rate on homes in that district stays in place for years. If it failed: the developer carries the cost longer or the project slows, so ask the builder what's reimbursable and what the tax rate is likely to be. I didn't find confirmed results for individual MUDs. Look up the district's current rate and any pending bond authorization, and read the MUD notice a seller or builder must give a buyer under Texas Water Code section 49.452. Our post on MUD and HOA costs shows how that tax sits next to the others.
Were Houston Proposition A and the other measures about property taxes?
No. Houston Proposition A was a city charter amendment on marijuana possession enforcement and no-knock warrants, and it has no dollar amount. KPRC reported that Houston voters approved it, with early returns at 72% for. League City's Proposition A was a nonbinding question on police license plate readers. The City of Liberty's Proposition A moves a half-cent of sales tax from the Liberty Community Development Corporation to the city, and the total sales tax stays the same. Waller County Assistance Districts 1 to 3 and Austin County ESD 1 were sales-tax measures, not property-tax measures.
How should buyers and sellers use these results?
Buyers should ask the lender to run the payment with the current rate for that exact school district and any MUD, then add a cushion if a measure is still undecided. The mortgage calculator shows what taxes and insurance add to a payment.
Sellers can pull the current tax bill and have it ready, because buyers compare the full monthly cost. Elections don't change your appraised value, and your appraisal notice and protest window come in spring no matter what happened Tuesday. Our guide to Houston school districts and explainer on school ratings cover the other half of the school question.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Cy-Fair ISD tax rate increase and bonds pass? No. Unofficial results show Cy-Fair ISD voters rejected all five propositions, with none above about 37% support. The district says it accepts the result and will reassess its options.
Will my taxes go up in Cy-Fair ISD after the election? Not from these measures. The 9-cent net increase and $1.63 billion in bonds were rejected, so the school rate stays where the district set it. Other taxing units, including the county, city and any MUD, set their own rates.
How much would Channelview ISD's propositions have cost a homeowner? If all five had passed, the district estimated $116.58 more a year ($9.72 a month) on its $215,365 average home, and about $225 a year per $100,000 of taxable value.
Are homeowners 65 and older affected by school tax rate elections? Generally no. Homeowners 65 or older, or with a disability exemption, usually have school taxes capped at a ceiling, so a rate increase doesn't raise that bill unless the home gets significant improvements.
What happens to a MUD when its bond measure fails? The district can't borrow for that work, so the developer carries the cost longer or the project slows. Buyers should ask the builder what's reimbursable and check the MUD's current tax rate and notice.
Where do I find my district's official results? Check your school district's election page and the county clerk's election results site. Results stay unofficial until the county canvasses them.
This article is general information, not tax, legal, lending or investment advice. Rules change and lenders add their own. Talk with your CPA, attorney and lender about your situation. Examples are hypothetical and not a forecast of any result.
Last updated November 2026