Allen ISD will hold a special election on May 2 seeking voter approval for a process to reimburse the state for recapture payments. The ballot measure, called an attendance credit election, is required due to changes brought about by Texas House Bill 3 in the 2019 session.
Allen ISD is considered a high property wealth school district by the state. As a result, the state recaptures a portion of the school district’s local tax revenue. Those funds are ultimately redistributed to low property wealth school districts through legislation commonly referred to as the Robin Hood law.
Allen ISD has been making recapture payments to the state since 2011 by purchasing attendance credits under an exemption that did not require voter approval. This means that the recapture funds could be taken out of Allen ISD’s annual state funding without a special election.
Under the new law, Allen ISD cannot continue using attendance credits for recapture payments without voter approval. Therefore, the Board of Trustees has authorized a special attendance credit election to be held on May 2, 2020 in conjunction with the regular city and school elections.
The one-time election would not change the amount of recapture funds or impact Allen ISD taxes. Voters are only being asked to approve the process by which state payments have been made since 2011.
Allen ISD is required to make recapture payments. If the attendance credit process is not approved by voters, the State of Texas is authorized to detach commercial property from the school district tax rolls and annex them to another school district. That change would be permanent.
“The special election is a direct result of changes in the law,” according to Robin Bullock, superintendent of schools. “It is not a referendum on Robin Hood and the district will still be obligated to make recapture payments. We have been paying the state through attendance credits since 2011 and will continue to do so with voter approval.”