The Mesquite Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Supports Mesquite ISD Proposition A

The Mesquite Chamber Board of Directors voted unanimously to support Prop A, the Mesquite ISD tax rate election on the November 3 ballot. 

Mesquite businesses run on people. When our board looked at Prop A, it came down to two questions: where will our members' next employees come from, and can Mesquite ISD keep the teachers who prepare them? 

Prop A answers both. If approved, it brings in about $16 million a year for Mesquite ISD's day-to-day operations: staff pay, student programs, and campus safety. Here is why the Mesquite Chamber is asking you to vote for it.

Our future workforce

Nine out of ten Mesquite ISD high school students take career and technical education courses. This month, the district was named a CTE District of Distinction for the second year in a row. Those students, in programs from culinary arts to automotive collision repair to firefighting, are the people our members will be hiring in a few years.

Prop A would maintain and expand student access to CTE, fine arts, athletics, and other programs. The district has already cut about $50 million over the past two years by eliminating positions, consolidating programs, and reducing administrative costs. After cuts that deep, there is little left to trim that students would not feel.

Keeping good teachers 

Every employer in Mesquite knows what turnover costs, and schools are no different. Mesquite ISD competes for teachers with every district around it. Today it has one of the lowest operating tax rates in the region. Prop A would bring that rate in line with most neighboring districts.

Without new revenue, the district's three-year forecast shows a $5.2 million deficit in 2027-28, growing to $9.6 million in 2028-29. That forecast assumes no raises at all. Prop A would fund at least a 2% raise for every full-time employee, more substitute coverage, and targeted recruiting for hard-to-staff positions. Experienced teachers who stay in Mesquite are the ones who build the programs our future workforce comes out of.

What it costs 

The district estimates $8.75 a month for the average homeowner, based on a $250,000 home with a $140,000 homestead exemption. Homeowners 65 and older with the over-65 exemption keep their school tax freeze. Prop A does not change it.

This is not a district that has been careless with money. Mesquite ISD has earned the highest rating in the state's school financial integrity system for 22 consecutive years. 

State law requires the ballot to say "This is a tax increase." It is, and our board believes it is a worthwhile one.

How to vote 

Early voting: now through Friday, October 30, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Dallas County voters can vote at any county vote center. Find one at dallascountyvotes.org. Prop A comes after a long list of federal, state, and county races, so vote all the way down the ballot. 

Vote FOR Prop A 

A strong Mesquite ISD means a stronger workforce for every business in Mesquite. Early voting ends Friday. 

Learn more about Prop A: mesquiteisd.org/propa 

Figures are from Mesquite ISD's Prop A page and the official notice of election. 

Political advertising paid for by the Mesquite Chamber of Commerce.