Marion ISD currently serves 1,709 students, with enrollment increasing in 7 of the past 10 years, making it the 3rd fastest-growing district in the Greater San Antonio area. More than 5,000 new homes are projected to be occupied over the next 10 years within the district. This anticipated growth could result in hundreds of new students. Proposition A is a $60 million bond proposal that includes additional elementary school to accommodate projected enrollment growth, new buses to serve expanding routes, and district upgrades such as turf replacement, parking lot paving, and a new Technology & Maintenance Facility. Based on current estimates, more than half of the bond cost would be covered by commercial tax contributions. For a $300,000 home, the projected tax impact would be approximately $13.02 per month. Homeowners 65 and older or those with a disability exemption would not see a tax increase, and state tax relief measures scheduled to begin in January may further reduce the tax rate.
Bond Proposition at a Glance
Additional Elementary School
Marion ISD is experiencing rapid enrollment growth, and our current elementary campuses will soon reach functional capacity. The proposed bond includes funding for a new additional elementary school campus designed to serve up to 750 students in grades Pre-K through 5th.
The new campus will:
- Help keep class sizes small to support individual student attention
- Provide modern, energy-efficient classrooms and learning spaces
- Reduce the need for portable buildings, which are less secure and more costly to maintain
New Buses
Marion ISD utilizes 23+ buses and more than 12 routes daily to transport students. Approximately 630 students (40%) ride buses each day. The useful life of a school bus in MISD is 7-10 years, and some buses are nearing the end of their useful life. Additional new buses and bus routes will need to be put in place as more students are enrolled.
Land Acquisition
As Marion ISD continues to grow, securing land now to meet future facility needs. The proposed bond includes funding to purchase property for future schools and district facilities.
Purchasing land today:
- Locks in space for future campuses before prices rise
- Ensures school sites are located where they will best serve our growing community
- Saves taxpayer money by avoiding higher real estate costs in the years ahead
District-Wide Upgrades
The proposed bond will fund improvements across Marion ISD to ensure safe, functional, and modern facilities for students, staff, and the community.
Upgrades include:
- Technology & Maintenance Facility – creating a dedicated space to house these departments, freeing up classrooms for student use and improving operational efficiency.
- Artificial Turf Replacement for Baseball and Softball Fields- replacing the current field turf, which is nearing the end of its useful life, to maintain safety and performance for student athletes.
- Parking Lot Improvements – paving and expanding parking areas to improve safety, accessibility, and traffic flow during school events.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Proposition A addresses growth by funding a new elementary school, a technology and maintenance facility, new buses, and land for future use. Prop A also addresses district-wide upgrades including field turf replacement, parking lot upgrades, and a technology and maintenance facility.
The total amount of the proposed bond package is $60 million.
The last bond proposal to pass in Marion ISD was in 2023.
This bond paid for
- High School
- Safety and Security
- Renovations
- CTE Renovations
- Middle School, Karrer and Krueger Renovations
- Land
- Buses
These projects were completed on time and within the budget.
A 28-member committee of community members developed the 2025 bond proposal in conjunction with the staff and administration. The committee met three times over seven months to review the district’s growth and facility assessments. Based on the committee’s work, the Superintendent recommended the Board call for a bond.
Texas school districts do not receive state funding for renovating or building new schools. Instead, they must receive funds through school bond elections.
The law provides that a school district must hold an election and get permission from voters to sell bonds and to levy taxes to pay for them. Bonds are sold to provide funding for capital improvements that last for a number of years. Such investments are too large to be included in annual operating budgets. Just as an individual agrees to repay a new home loan, voters authorize the District to sell and repay bonds for making major capital improvements. School boards can only levy I&S taxes in the amount necessary to repay the bonds. If the amount needed to pay the bonds is less, the district taxes less.
The Board of Trustees call for an election.
If bonds are approved by voters, bonds are sold to investors.
Proceeds are used for approved capital projects.
The tax rate is set in two parts: one to cover the operating costs (payroll, supplies, equipment, insurance, utilities, etc.) and the other to pay principal & interest due on the bonds each year.
Bond money may be used for new schools and facilities, expansion and renovations of existing facilities, furniture, technology, equipment, buses, and new school sites.
Bond money can only be used for capital improvements and related costs. They may not be used for employee salaries, utilities, and other such operating expenses.
The bonds may be sold 45-60 days after the bond election. Generally, once a bond issue passes, the architects begin the design work and the bid process. Construction itself will begin several months after the election.
The property tax increase associated with the $60 million bond for Marion ISD based on the average home value in the district, which is approximately $300,000, will be an increase of $13.02 per month.
This impact includes most recent compression and assumes the additional $40,000 homestead exemption is approved by voters in November. The combination of compression and an additional $40,000 on top of the existing $100,000 homestead exemption will cut school property taxes for a homesteaded property. This would take effect in January 2026.
Approximately 57% of the bond’s cost will be picked up by commercial tax contributions. That means local homeowners will cover 43% of the total.
Since 2019, Texas state law requires all school districts to have the phrase “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE’ on all ballot language for bond propositions. Homeowners age 65 and older who have filed for and received the Over 65 exemption will not see an increase over their frozen dollar amount, if there are no major improvements or additions. Check your most recent Notice of Assessed Value Change to see if you will be impacted.
There will not be an increase in taxes for senior citizens or disabled persons as a result of this proposed bond. School property taxes for senior citizens and disabled persons are frozen and would not be affected by passage of the bond election as long as they have applied for and received the Over 65 Homestead Exemption with the appropriate appraisal district.
Current homeowners ages 65 and over will not be impacted by the passage of this bond. Their school taxes will not go above the frozen levy amount/ceiling that was established when the Over-65 exemption was granted (unless improvements or additions are made to the residence). To have your school taxes frozen, you must file a homestead application with the appropriate appraisal district and be granted the Over-65 exemption.
In 2025, the Texas Legislature passed significant property tax relief measures aimed at homeowners aged 65 and older. This means eligible individuals can now receive a total school tax exemption of up to $200,000 – combining the $140,000 general exemption and the $60,000 over 65/disabled exemption – if it is approved by voters in November. The existing school district tax freeze for seniors remains, ensuring that school district taxes on your home won’t increase after you qualify, unless you make major home improvements.
For questions regarding the Over 65 Homestead, please contact the Guadalupe County Tax Appraisal Office on the web, or by phone at 830-303-6363.
Veterans who have a 100% disability rating or surviving spouses of a member of the U.S. armed services killed in the line of duty would not see an increase in taxes.
Tax Code Section 11.131 entitles a disabled veteran awarded 100 percent disability compensation due to a service-connected disability and a rating of 100 percent disabled or of individual unemployability to a total property tax exemption on the disabled veteran’s residence homestead.
Tax Code Section 11.133 entitles a surviving spouse of a member of the U.S. armed services killed or fatally injured in the line of duty to a total property tax exemption on his or her residence homestead if the surviving spouse has not remarried since the death of the armed services member.
By law, the role of any school district during a bond election is to share factual information with the voters so the community may make an informed choice as to whether they wish to support or oppose a bond proposition. The District should also be responsive to citizens’ questions related to the bond issue and to ensure voters know when and where they have an opportunity to vote.
If the bond package does not pass, the district may have to explore other options to address increasing enrollment, including using the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget to purchase portable classrooms. Portable classrooms can cost around $250,000. The M&O budget funds expenses such as teacher salaries and student programs. Portable classrooms are less secure than traditional classrooms.
If approved by voters, bonds are paid from a dedicated funding source, which is different from the M&O fund used for teacher salaries and student programs.
If the proposition is approved in November, the estimated impact would be a $13.02 per month increase for a home valued at $300,000 — the average market value for a home in Marion ISD.
Impact includes most recent compression and assumes the additional $40,000 homestead exemption is approved by voters in November. The combination of compression and an additional $40,000 on top of the existing $100,000 homestead exemption will cut school property taxes for a homesteaded property.
Since 2019, state law requires all bond propositions for any school district to have the phrase “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE” on all ballot language for bond propositions.
If the bond is passed, homeowners 65 years of age and older who have filed for and received the Over 65 exemption will not see an increase over their frozen dollar amount as long as they make no major additions or improvements.
Check your most recent Notice of Assessed Value Change to see if your school district taxes will be impacted.
Delaying implementation of the bond program exposes the District to escalating construction costs, which are expected to increase the total cost of the proposed bond projects by an additional $5.5 million per year.
BOND PRESENTATION DATES
9/15 Middle School Staff – 4:15
9/22 Band Booster Club – Band Hall – 6:00
9/24 High School Staff – 7:15 and 4:15
9/24 65+ Presentation, Primary Cafeteria – 9:00
9/29 Krueger/Karrer Staff – Karrer Cafeteria – 3:15
9/29 Community – Tondre Rm – 6:00
10/1 Community – Dove Song – Sweetwater – Pulte Model Home – 6:00
10/2 Community – Winding Creek Ranch – Model Home (1833 Chianti Pass, 78130) – 6:00
10/6 FFA Booster Club – Secondary Cafeteria – 7:00
10/8 Athletic Booster Club – Tondre Rm. – 5:00
10/15 PTSO – Karrer Cafeteria – 6:00