HB 212 amends the Texas Education Code to change the required wording and content of ballot propositions for school district bond elections. Under the bill, every bond proposition must continue to state, in all caps, that “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.” In addition, the proposition must now disclose the percentage of district students who were required to take the state math and reading assessments in the most recent school year and who performed satisfactorily on those tests.
The bill is aimed at giving voters more information when deciding whether to approve school bond measures. By tying the ballot language to both the tax impact and student academic performance, the bill seeks to make the bond election proposition more transparent and potentially more informative to taxpayers and parents.
Impact
The bill would amend Section 45.003(b-1) of the Education Code, adding a new mandatory disclosure to school district bond election ballots. School districts seeking bond approval would have to include the district’s most recent satisfactory performance rate on state math and reading assessments, alongside the existing required property-tax-increase warning. This would affect school districts, voters, and election administrators by changing the legal form of bond propositions and potentially influencing how bond measures are presented to the electorate.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a transparency-focused approach to school finance and voter disclosure, with an emphasis on informing taxpayers about both fiscal and academic outcomes.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the added requirement to include student test-performance data on a bond ballot proposition. Supporters would likely view this as useful context for voters and a way to connect school spending with academic results. Opponents could argue that the requirement may politicize bond elections, oversimplify complex district performance data, or unfairly link capital funding decisions to standardized test outcomes. The existing mandatory phrase that the bond is a property tax increase may also be seen as controversial by school districts that believe it could discourage voter approval.
Relating to the creation of the Montgomery County Management District No. 3; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.
Relating to the creation of the Montgomery County Management District No. 3; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.
Relating to the integration of early voting by personal appearance and election day voting, including the manner in which election returns are processed and other related changes.
Relating to the creation of industrial development districts in certain counties; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, or taxes.