By Claudia Lorena Silva, El Paso Matters Socorro Independent School District voters may soon be asked to decide whether to allow the district to shift some of its property tax revenue — currently earmarked for repaying debt — toward daily operations and rebuilding its reserves after years of running deficits and spending more money than it took in.

The SISD school board is expected to approve its proposed tax rate Aug. 15, which would trigger a special voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, in November that could bring in up to $49.2 million a year.  The proposal would shift tax revenue from debt repayment to operations, meaning the tax bill for property owners would be the same regardless of whether voters approve or reject the proposal. Because the state is expanding the homestead

See Full Page