Moore or Less | No Filter
Four Dollars a Month. Do Not Overthink This One.
Drive Highway 175 through Crandall and count the rooftops that were not standing five years ago. Then try counting the teachers who arrived with them.
That second number is the problem.
Crandall ISD enrollment has increased 54 percent over the past five years. Fifty four percent. Show me one business in this county that swallowed that kind of growth without hiring a single extra hand.
On Nov. 3 voters get to decide what happens next. Proposition A is a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election and it is on the ballot for a reason.
The Question Nobody Asks Out Loud
Ask a Crandall parent what they pay in school taxes and most can get within a hundred dollars. Ask them what the district actually does when hundreds of new students show up in August and you get a blank stare.
That is not their fault. Nobody has ever explained school finance to this community in plain English.
So let me try.
What Proposition A Actually Is
Proposition A is not a bond. I want that stated loudly because people confuse the two every single election cycle.
Bond money builds buildings and cannot legally touch a paycheck. A VATRE generates operating money that can go straight to the people standing in front of your kids every morning.
The Part That Should End the Argument
Here is the number that ought to settle most of the shouting. Crandall ISD projects that roughly 80 percent of this money comes from Austin and not from your escrow account.
For about every dollar this community puts in the state is projected to send about four more. Vote it down and you do not keep that money in your pocket.
You simply never see it.
| Funding Source | Projected Share | Approximate Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Local taxpayers | About 20 percent | About $800,000 |
| State of Texas | About 80 percent | About $3.2 million |
| Total each year | 100 percent | About $4 million |
Where the Money Goes
| Purpose | Share | Amount | What It Pays For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee compensation | About 75 percent | About $3 million | A $4,000 salary increase for every certified teacher and a 4 percent increase capped at $4,000 for other employees |
| Campus staffing and classroom support | About 25 percent | About $1 million | Teachers, instructional support staff and campus personnel as enrollment grows and new campuses open |
The district says the staffing portion will not be used to add district administrative positions. I intend to hold them to that in print.
One in Ten Walked Out the Door
About 10 percent of Crandall ISD certified teachers left to work in other districts during the previous school year. One in ten.
I spent years coaching in Switzerland and Brunei and Bhutan and Nepal and the lesson never changed. People rarely quit because the work is hard. They quit because somebody twenty minutes down the road is paying more for the same work.
Crandall ISD is currently the only school district in Kaufman County that has not approved a VATRE. Every neighbor took the deal. Crandall is competing for the same teachers with a thinner wallet.
Did You Know?
- Crandall ISD enrollment has increased 54 percent over the past five years.
- As enrollment changes the district evaluates staffing needs, including the number of teachers, instructional staff and campus personnel needed to serve students.
- On Nov. 3 Crandall ISD voters will consider Proposition A, a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election.
- Crandall ISD has earned the Texas Education Agency highest financial accountability rating, Superior Achievement.
Now the Uncomfortable Part
I do not hand out “yes” votes on tax increases like candy. Regular readers know I have spent the last month digging through crime data and settlement checks because I never assume a government agency has earned anything automatically.
So here is the ugly sentence nobody in the district wants me to write. State law requires the ballot to tell you plainly that this is a tax increase.
It is. The estimated impact for the average homeowner is $3.95 per month after applicable exemptions. Your actual number depends on your taxable value and the exemptions you qualify for.
The District Brought Receipts
Crandall ISD has consistently earned the state highest financial accountability rating. Its purchasing department has also earned the Texas Association of School Business Officials Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations for four consecutive years.
That does not buy anybody a blank check from me. It does buy a fair hearing, and this district has earned one.
Mark Your Calendar
| Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Oct. 5, 2026 | Last day to register to vote in this election |
| Oct. 19 to Oct. 30, 2026 | Early voting by personal appearance |
| Oct. 23, 2026 | Last day for the early voting clerk to receive a mail ballot application |
| Nov. 3, 2026 | Election Day, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
The Verdict
Crandall is not the sleepy stop on Highway 175 that I covered when I was running The Seagoville Gazette in 1992. It is turning into a city whether anybody planned for it or not.
Growth does not wait for a community to feel ready. It shows up in August with a backpack and expects a teacher to be standing there.
Four dollars a month from local homeowners unlocks roughly four million dollars for the people who teach Crandall students. That is not a burden. That is a bargain, and turning it down would be the expensive choice.
Crandall ISD voters should approve Proposition A on Nov. 3.
Merv Moore is the Editor in Chief of Shop in Seagoville. Local News. Local Deals. Local People. His Moore or Less column is hard hitting, opinionated and not always comfortable. That is the point.
