Texas Public Policy Foundation

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๐Ÿ“ Drive to BURTON ISD Office   ๐Ÿ“… Monday, August 31, 2026 to Calendar
๐Ÿ“„ View Official Agenda
Heads up, taxpayers and parents: We’ve audited the upcoming BURTON ISD agenda. There are 3 items targeting parental consent and taxpayer funds that need your immediate attention before the gavel falls.
โš ๏ธ Warning (LEVEL 8)
District Hides Math on Proposed Tax Rate
๐Ÿ“… 2026-08-31
Burton ISD is voting to adopt a total tax rate of $0.777447 per $100 valuation. However, the district published a blank tax rate calculation worksheet, preventing taxpayers from seeing the official ‘no-new-revenue’ rateโ€”the rate that would collect the same amount of money as last year. This makes it impossible for the public to know if this proposal is a hidden tax increase.
Response

DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Contact the Burton ISD board before the meeting. Ask: ‘What is the no-new-revenue rate, and why wasn’t the completed tax rate calculation worksheet published with the agenda? Taxpayers deserve to see the math before you vote on Item 10.’

๐Ÿ’ฐ Impact: Potential Property Tax Increase
โš ๏ธ Warning (LEVEL 7)
Budget Sends $2 Million in Local Property Taxes to Austin
๐Ÿ“… 2026-08-31
The proposed 2026-2027 budget includes a $2,000,000 line item for ‘Chapter 49 Costs.’ This is the state’s ‘recapture’ or ‘Robin Hood’ system, which takes property taxes from Burton homeowners and sends them to the state for redistribution, rather than funding local schools.
Response

QUESTION THE BOARD: Contact the Burton ISD board regarding Item 9. Ask: ‘What is the board doing to communicate the burden of the $2 million recapture payment to our state legislators? Our community is being taxed to fund other districts.’

๐Ÿ’ฐ Impact: $2M Exported From Local Tax Base
๐ŸšฉWatchlist (LEVEL 5)
Requires Verification

Vote on Pay Schedule Changes with No Public Details
๐Ÿ“… 2026-08-31
The board plans to vote on ‘Amendments to the Supplemental Pay Schedule’ under Item 6. No supporting documents were attached to the public agenda, so taxpayers cannot see what changes are being made or how much they will cost.
Response

DEMAND THE DETAILS: Contact the Burton ISD board: ‘Regarding Item 6, please publish the proposed amendments to the Supplemental Pay Schedule online before the vote. Taxpayers deserve to see the details of any new spending.’

๐Ÿ’ฐ Impact: Undisclosed Spending
District Info
Address 701 N RAILROAD ST, BURTON, TX 77835
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