Election 2026 News

The Bay City Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved calling a School Election for Nov 3, 2026.

A Strategic Planning Committee composed of a diverse group of 52 Bay City ISD community members and leaders met four times over two months. Their charge was to evaluate the district's financial data, public school finance and the district’s facilities assessment. A recommendation was then made to the Board of Trustees at the June 15 meeting.

“I want to thank the community members who gave their time and expertise to this process, as well as our Board of Trustees for their thoughtful leadership,” Superintendent Chris Townsend said. “This proposal is a direct reflection of what our community told us matters most.”

The 2026 Election will ask voters to consider two propositions on the November ballot.

Proposition A provides $3.6 million of new funding to Bay City ISD for the current fiscal year to support the district’s Maintenance & Operations instructional budget. The funds would be used to retain high-quality staff and maintain student programs. 

Proposition B provides $8 million of funding to allow the district to pay back loans using bond funds, saving the district $1.6 million in daily operating funds annually. 

During the August Board meeting, the Bay City ISD Board of Trustees approved lowering the school district tax rate from $1.00069 to $0.9698 for the 2026-27 school year. Homeowners will see a decrease by approximately 3 pennies to the I&S rate.

If voters approve Props A & B, the Bay City ISD tax rate will remain the same. 

The estimated financial impact of the 2026 election includes the $140,000 standard Homestead Exemption and the $200,000 Over-65 Homestead Exemption approved by state voters in November 2025. 

Since 2019, state law requires all propositions for any school district to have the phrase “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE” on all ballot language. 

There will not be an increase in taxes for senior citizens or disabled persons as a result of this proposed bond. School property taxes are frozen for senior citizens and disabled persons and will remain unaffected by the passage of the election, provided they have applied for and received the Over 65 Homestead Exemption with the appropriate appraisal district and have made no major improvements or additions to their residence. Check your most recent Notice of Assessed Value Change to see if you will be impacted.

The district will begin providing the community with comprehensive voter education on all aspects of the 2026 election.
 

“Our commitment to the Bay City community is transparency,” Townsend said. “We want every voter to have the facts they need to make an informed decision, and we will be sharing information through mail, digital channels, and social media.”