The district projects a deficit of $80.9 million and announced that it will present new financial scenarios to the Board of Directors after the November 3 election.
Updated November 5, 2026. The election results are preliminary and subject to official certification.
Voters in Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Cy-Fair ISD) rejected the five school measures placed on the ballot on November 3, 2026. None reached 37% support, according to results published by the district on Wednesday, November 4. This affects two different types of funding. Proposition A sought to increase the revenues used for the daily operation of schools. Propositions B, C, D, and E would have authorized bonds for infrastructure, technology, facilities, and pools.
Cy-Fair ISD results: all five propositions were rejected
In the district election, 197,927 ballots were cast. Proposition B received the highest percentage of votes in favor, at 36.60%, while D received the lowest, at 26.92%.
| Proposition | Use of funds | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Operating expenses | 32.47% | 67.53% |
| B | Infrastructure, safety, and transportation | 36.60% | 63.40% |
| C | Educational technology | 36.00% | 64.00% |
| D | School stadiums | 26.92% | 73.08% |
| E | School pools | 28.24% | 71.76% |
The percentages reflect Cy-Fair ISD’s preliminary tallies. The number of votes cast varied by proposition because not all voters marked a choice on every question.
Proposition A did not receive authorization to generate $103.6 million annually
Proposition A was a tax-rate ratification election, known as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election (VATRE). It sought to increase by 12 cents per $100 of taxable value the maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate used to fund salaries, instructional programs, transportation, and other day-to-day costs.
With its approval, Cy-Fair ISD estimated it would receive $103.6 million additional per year: $83.4 million in local revenues and $20.2 million in state-guaranteed funds. The rejection means the district did not obtain authorization to implement that increase.
The Board approved in June a budget of approximately $1,247 million for the 2026-2027 cycle, with a projected deficit of $80.9 million. That financial gap remains one of the issues the district will need to address.
The $1,000 and $2,000 extra payments depended on the election outcome
The approved budget included one-time payments conditioned on the approval of Proposition A:
- $2,000 for full-time hourly-paid employees and paraprofessional staff.
- $1,000 for other full-time employees.
As the proposal was rejected, the condition set to authorize those additional payments was not met.
This should not be confused with the one-time $500 payment for full-time employees that the Board had already included in the budget approved on June 22. That payment was not contingent on the November outcome, according to the district’s budget announcement.
The four school bonds rejected totaled $1.6365 billion
Propositions B through E contemplated debt authorization of approximately $1.6365 billion. Unlike Proposition A, the funds from these bonds would be dedicated to capital projects and could not be used to cover salaries or ordinary operating expenses.
- Proposition B — $1.2995 billion: roof, HVAC systems, security infrastructure, school facilities, and vehicles, including buses.
- Proposition C — $256.1 million: computers and other technology equipment for students and faculty.
- Proposition D — $60.8 million: renewal of artificial turf, tracks, and markings of existing school stadiums.
- Proposition E — $20.1 million: repairs and replacement of equipment in existing school pools.
The rejection prevents funding these projects through the proposed bond authorizations. However, this does not mean that all works have been definitively cancelled. In its official description of the package, Cy-Fair ISD explained that projects could be eliminated, delayed, or reevaluated based on the resources available.
The estimated nine-cent increase did not materialize
Before the elections, the district calculated that the approval of all five measures would produce a net increase of nine cents per $100 of taxable value. The projection combined a 12-cent increase in the operating M&O rate with a projected three-cent reduction in the debt service rate, known as I&S.
Under that scenario, the total rate would have moved from $1.0669 to $1.1569 per $100 of taxable value. For a primary residence valued at $350,000, using the exemptions the district cited in its example, the estimated impact would have been $126 more per year.
That calculation corresponded to an approval scenario that did not occur. The three-cent reduction in the I&S rate was a separate projection from the authorization for the operating increase. Therefore, the election rejection cannot by itself determine what the district’s final tax rate will be.
The ballots for Propositions B through E also included the English warning “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE”, required by Texas law for school bond elections. That wording appeared even though the district projected a decrease in the debt service rate.
Cy-Fair ISD prepares budget adjustments and public sessions
On November 4, the superintendent Doug Killian and the Board President, Julie Hinaman, informed the community that the district accepts the voters’ decision and will need to adjust spending to available revenues.
In the message released after the election, officials announced that in the coming months they would present updated financial models, revenue projections, and possible operating calendars to the Board.
The proposals will be discussed in publicly announced working sessions. The release does not yet identify specific decisions about staffing reductions, program changes, or changes in the size of school groups.
For families and employees, the next step will be to learn which budget adjustments the administration proposes and which receive Board approval.
Related: 2026 Texas election results: Houston and Harris County.
