Texas homeowners would stop paying school district property taxes, and local property-tax increases would need two-thirds of the vote, under a plan Gov. Greg Abbott promoted at a Gainesville hat manufacturer on Tuesday, Sept. 22, according to his campaign. The stop promoted an existing plan. Abbott outlined the same property-tax agenda in Frisco on Nov. 20, 2025, according to a campaign statement.
Ending the homeowner school tax would take a constitutional amendment approved by voters, according to Abbott's written plan. The plan does not say how the state would make up the money districts would lose. It would also tighten the yearly limit on appraisal growth, extend that limit to other property and space out appraisals. Texas voters raised the school homestead exemption in 2023 and again in 2025, according to the comptroller.
Under current law, most taxing units that adopt a rate above a state-calculated limit must hold an election, and a simple majority decides it, according to the Texas comptroller. Abbott's proposal would require elections in more cases.
| | Current rule | Abbott proposal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Appraisal-growth limit | 10% a year, qualifying homesteads | 3% a year, extended to other property |
| Reappraisal | At least every 3 years | Once every 5 years |
| Local property-tax increase | Majority-vote election for most units exceeding the voter-approval rate | Two-thirds voter approval for any increase |
Sources: [Texas comptroller](https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/valuing-property.php); Abbott campaign.
Abbott's broader platform targets health care, prescription drug, insurance, housing and electricity costs. In July, he proposed a $25 monthly cap on copays for inhalers and epinephrine.
The campaign projects that the average Texas homeowner would save more than $3,000 a year in property taxes. Those savings have not been independently established.
The school tax is the part of a homeowner's bill the plan would end. In Gainesville ISD, that rate rose between the 2024 and 2025 tax years, according to Cooke County records. The higher debt-service rate accounted for all of the increase, and the operating rate held steady. Elsewhere in the county, Era ISD's rate fell and Lindsay ISD's stayed the same.
Gainesville ISD went from the lowest school tax rate among nearby districts to the highest
Total school district tax rates, tax years 2024 and 2025. Lindsay ISD's rate did not change.
Show the numbers
| Tax year | Gainesville ISD ($ per $100 of value) | Lindsay ISD ($ per $100 of value) | Era ISD ($ per $100 of value) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0.86 | 0.94 | 0.91 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0.94 | 0.81 |
Source: Cooke County Truth-in-Taxation sheet, 2025
| Gainesville ISD, per $100 of value | 2024 | 2025 |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Operations | $0.7552 | $0.7552 |
| Debt service | $0.1030 | $0.2425 |
| Total | $0.8582 | $0.9977 |
District voters approved construction and renovation bonds in May 2025 with a little more than half the vote, according to certified results.
Source: Gainesville ISD certified results, May 3, 2025 election
State Rep. David Spiller joined Abbott in Gainesville, where the governor met with rural families and business owners, the campaign said. A separate campaign statement says Abbott held a roundtable the same day at Old Magnolia Mercantile in Palestine with state Sen. Bryan Hughes and state Rep. Cody Harris.
Abbott, a Republican, faces Democrat Gina Hinojosa and Libertarian Pat Dixon on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to the secretary of state. Hinojosa's campaign proposes a one-time $1,500 payment to every Texas household, drawn from the state's Economic Stabilization Fund.
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