Passing a school bond when the ballot says tax increase.
Goodwill toward schools is not a vote. A winning yes campaign shows each voter what the bond builds, what it costs them, and gets the supporters to the bottom of the ballot.
How do you pass a school bond election in Texas?
Show voters exactly what each proposition builds and what it costs a typical home, reassure seniors whose homestead school taxes are frozen at a ceiling, organize parents and staff as messengers, and run a turnout program so supporters reach the propositions at the bottom of the ballot. URSA runs these campaigns for the privately funded committees that support school bonds.
Most voters already like their schools. The campaign's job is to turn that into a vote on a ballot that says tax increase.
What Moves Yes Voters
The project list, school by school
Which roof, which HVAC system, which overcrowded campus. Voters support specific fixes at their own school far more than a total dollar figure.
The real cost to a home like theirs
The district's published figures turned into a yearly cost for a typical home, with a calculator so each voter can check their own.
Seniors and the tax ceiling
Homeowners 65 and older generally have their homestead school taxes frozen at a ceiling. For many of them, the honest message is that the bond does not raise their bill.
Accountability
A citizen bond committee, a published project list and regular reports answer the question every skeptic asks: how do we know the money goes where you say?
Teachers, coaches and parents as messengers
People voters already trust about their school, speaking in their own words, on streaming TV, video and P2P.
Separate propositions, separate cases
Stadiums, pools and technology are their own propositions. Each needs its own reason, and a campaign may lead with the strongest ones.
The Yes Campaign Playbook
Form the committee early
A specific-purpose committee with a treasurer on file before it raises or spends, so the campaign can start when the board orders the election.
Build the universe from parcels and vote history
Parents, staff, recent school election voters and homeowners, built in Culper from the voter file and county appraisal data. See voter data.
Lead with the strongest propositions
Safety, facilities and overcrowding usually test better than athletics. The message matrix says which audience hears which.
Recruit messengers at every campus
A parent and a staff member per school who will text their own networks with our P2P scripts.
Turn out supporters
Supporters identified, a daily early vote scrub, and polling place asks. In a low turnout May election, organized supporters decide it. See get out the vote.
The district informs. The committee asks.
The district itself cannot campaign for or against its own measure (Texas Election Code 255.003). Campaigns on either side are run by privately funded political committees, and every piece carries the committee's disclosure.
Vote For Campaign Work
Streaming TV and social video we produced for a vote for the Lamar Consolidated ISD bond.
LCISD Bond Proposition Streaming TV Ad
Streaming TV spot for a vote for the Lamar Consolidated ISD bond propositions.
LCISD Bond Proposition Streaming TV Ad
Streaming TV spot for a vote for the Lamar Consolidated ISD bond propositions.
LCISD Bond Explainer
Explainer video for social on the Lamar Consolidated ISD bond propositions.
What helps a school bond pass?
A specific project list tied to each campus, an honest cost per home, a clear answer for seniors with a tax ceiling, trusted local messengers and a turnout program for supporters. In low turnout elections, organization matters as much as persuasion.
Who can campaign for a school bond in Texas?
A privately funded political committee, parents, staff on their own time and other residents. The district itself can only provide factual information and cannot spend public funds on advocacy under Texas Election Code Section 255.003.
Do seniors pay more if a school bond passes?
Texas homeowners 65 and older generally have the school taxes on their homestead frozen at a ceiling, so a bond typically does not raise the tax on that home. Campaigns should confirm the details with the district's published figures.
Is May or November better for a school bond?
May elections have small electorates, which rewards the side that organizes its supporters. November brings far more voters and a long ballot, so supporters must be told to look for the propositions at the bottom.
Keep reading.
- School District Bond ElectionsURSA runs campaigns for and against Texas school district bond propositions and tax rate elections, with property tax calculators, CAD based targeting, senior tax ceiling messaging and daily early vote scrubs.
- Defeating a School BondThe URSA playbook for committees opposing a Texas school bond or tax rate election: the ballot language, the full cost with interest, existing debt, the budget, separate propositions and tax-sensitive turnout.
- Tax Rate Elections (VATRE)URSA runs campaigns on Texas voter approval tax rate elections for school districts, cities, counties and special districts, built on the ballot language, the real cost per property and CAD parcel data.
Your victory starts here.
Tell us where you are running or what is on your ballot. We will show you who decides it, what moves them, and what it costs to reach them.
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