CEDAR HILL, Texas — In June, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 3 following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The bill requires one armed security officer at each Texas school, but some schools are struggling to meet that expectation due to funding.
Cedar Hill Independent School District has a measure on the November ballot to not only get more funding for officers but also for teachers.
Safety and support are all that matters to Cedar Hill ISD mother, Irene Cardoso.
“I'm the mother of a middle school scholar, and I know that they're looking around and they're seeing you know, who the English teacher is going to be next year and who they might have or math next year,” said Cardoso.
The excitement for next year depends on the decisions of this year. In November, Cedar Hill residents will vote in a VATRE election. It is a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election to decide whether to raise the tax rate higher than what has been set by law. If the VATRE passes, it will bring about $6.8 million to the district. Some of the funds would be used to increase teacher salaries and protect financial stability.
“We all see prices rising, and we know that the expectations that we have of our teachers are increasing," Cardoso said. "And as community members, we need to come together to support the adults that are with our children for hours on end each weekday."
Security is also on the line in the election. In June, lawmakers passed HB3 which requires all schools to have at least one armed security officer. The law went into effect Sept. 1. Cedar Hill ISD Police Chief James Hawthorne said passing the VATRE would help meet that mandate.
“Right now we have officers on our secondary campuses. With the additional funding that we might get, we can provide that funding on the elementary campuses,” said Chief Hawthorne.
He said adding officers to these campuses could cost roughly $650,000 just for salaries and benefits.
“Prices would go up from that if we’re talking about police cars and the other equipment,” said Chief Hawthorne.
Cardoso believes those costs should not be an issue when it comes to our youth.
“It does concern me that the residents of Cedar Hill are not as concerned or seemingly concerned with ensuring that their public schools are healthy,” Cardoso said. “I don't know anyone that should be paid more than the people that protect our precious young ones.”
It is a protection that most understand and want but differ in how to get it. The last day to register to vote was Oct. 10, but early voting begins Oct. 23-Nov. 3. Election day is Nov. 7, 2023.