School Board Candidate Questionnaire

On behalf of the members of your local association of REALTORS®, we commend you for seeking office and appreciate you taking time to complete this questionnaire.

The purpose of the questionnaire is to establish an issue-based dialog between you and your local REALTOR® partners, as well as our clients who buy and sell real estate in our community.

REALTORS® are committed to our communities, our clients, and the public. We work to ensure private property rights are protected, and that Texans can buy, sell, lease, and enjoy real property. To accomplish those goals, we monitor and advocate on a wide variety of local, state, and federal policy issues. The following questions seek to understand your position as a candidate and potential lawmaker on issues that will impact housing and real estate within your jurisdiction.

Your responses to the questionnaire will not be made public, nor are they a litmus test for campaign support.

Your local association of REALTORS® appreciates your attention to this candidate questionnaire and is available to answer any questions.

We also work in strong partnership with the Texas REALTORS®, our state-level professional association. You may contact the Texas REALTORS® Governmental Affairs Department at 512-480-8200.

Candidate Information

Candidate information

Candidate's name

Office sought/Political party

Which local REALTOR® association conducted the interview?

Date of interview

Candidate's mailing address

Candidate's phone

Candidate's mobile phone

Candidate's fax number

Candidate's email address

Candidate's website

Candidate's Facebook page

Candidate's Twitter username

Why are you running for this office?

What are your top three priority issues?

How much do you think this race will cost?

How much have you raised so far? Please include a date.

Campaign consultant:

Campaign manager:

Professional fundraiser:

What is your prior professional or community engagement with local REALTORS®?

Appraisal caps

Issue: Appraisal caps

Texas has a 10% cap on the increase in assessed values for residential homesteads. Several proposals in the Texas Legislature would artificially cap property appraisals at 3% or 5% annually. Further, some of these proposals would allow local-option elections that would allow for appraisal caps on a local level.

Question 1: Do you support an artificial lowering of the cap on appraisals at the state level?

Explanation of Position

Question 2: Would you support efforts to lower the appraisal cap at the local level?

Explanation of Position

Local homestead exemption

Issue: Local homestead exemption

Background: Local taxing jurisdictions have the ability to grant local property owners an exemption for their homesteads.

Question 3: Local taxing jurisdictions have the ability to grant local property owners an exemption for their homesteads. Do you favor the local option homestead exemption for your taxing jurisdiction as a way of providing property tax relief?

Explanation of Position

School district bonds

Issue: School District Bonds

Background: When school districts issue new bond proposals, taxpayers receive information about the total dollar amount requested for approval and the projects those bonds will be associated with. However, taxpayers are not given information about the total indebtedness, the impact on the tax rate, and the interest rate that will be charged and interest payments over the life of the bond.

Question 4: Would you be in favor of ensuring taxpayers are given more information about the impact the bond package would have on ISD expenditures?

Explanation of Position

Public school finance

Background: The 86th Texas Legislature passed a comprehensive reform to the state’s public school finance system and property tax system to lower the burden on local property taxpayers while increasing the state’s investment in educators and students.

One of the most impactful changes is the lowering of school property tax rates statewide.

Question 5: Property tax burdens remain high for all entities—cities, counties, special districts. But none are as high as local school taxes. If we are serious about lowering the tax burden on our citizens, we must lower the local school taxes. Please list your priorities for an equitable solution to lower the property taxes for all Texans, while maintaining or increasing funding for public schools.

General campaign questions

Question 6: Please briefly describe your plan to win this election, including your plans for fundraising communicating, and identifying/turning out your voters.

Question 7: If this group decides to support your campaign, would you accept funds from our Texas Association of REALTORS® Political Action Committee (TREPAC)?