Setting it Straight

My opponent has sent a mailout that is misleading and without context. I would like to address those points in this space. I also encourage any district 4 voter to call me directly at 210.386.0075 if you would like to have me elaborate in greater detail.

An excerpt from my opponent's letter:

"Despite losing 2,000 students expenses grew by $22 million, and taxpayers are covering the costs."

My Response: The $22 million in increased expenses is tied to inflation and teacher and staff compensation. We provided raises to ensure we retained experienced teachers. The strategy worked, our retention rates are higher. I have been advocating for our Texas Legislature to provide additional funding to support our increased costs.

An excerpt from my opponent's letter:

"Property tax rate for operations raised by 3.5 cents in 2024 and my opponent is pushing for another property tax increase in 2025."

My Response: The school district does not have anything to do with property taxes. The Bexar County Appraisal District sets property values. In fact, we have seen a decrease in our Judson ISD tax rate since 2016. Which I have supported. Our tax rate has decreased from $1.47 to $1.0346 in 2024. See graphic below.

Regarding my stance on a tax rate increase, I actually support keeping our tax rate at current $103.46.

An Excerpt from my opponent's mailout:

Macias stated in an October 9, 2024, Special meeting: "We're not going to cut...we will use every dollar in our fund balance (savings) before we cut anything...and if it means it impacts our ratings for bonds, we're already in a messed-up position anyway."

My Response: That statement was made in response to cutting teachers and educational programming that support student achievement. My remark was centered on utilizing all our resources before we cut teachers. Why would we want to have a large savings account while cutting teachers, putting 40 - 50 students in a classroom, and creating a subpar academic environment? If we have savings, we should use it.

The challenge of funding stems from the Legislature failing to raise the basic allotment for students. We receive $6,160 on average, per student. It has been that rate since 2019....and during the past six years, cost for operating a district have increased due to paying increases in employee raises and inflation.

Once again, I welcome and encourage dialogue. As your representative, I value and appreciate having important conversations about the education of our children. Please feel free to call me at 210.386.0075.