Murphy homeowners in the Plano ISD attendance zone will pay $54 more in school taxes this year, even though the district's tax rate is going down.

The Plano ISD Board of Trustees voted Tuesday, Aug. 4, to set the 2026-27 tax rate at $1.03275 per $100 of taxable property value, according to the Murphy Monitor. That's a decrease of less than one penny from the current $1.03955 rate. But because home values climbed across the district, the average homeowner with a taxable value of $368,605 will owe about $3,807 in Plano ISD taxes annually, up $54 from 2025-26.

The rate cut comes entirely from the maintenance and operations side, which drops from $0.80220 to $0.79540. The debt service component, tied to voter-approved bonds, stays flat at $0.23735.

As we reported July 29, the board adopted a $691.6 million general operating budget on June 23 that projects a $44.8 million shortfall. The spending plan anticipates $634.6 million in revenue against $691.6 million in expenditures, with the gap covered by existing fund balance. It includes a 2% salary increase for eligible staff and market-rate pay adjustments to retain teachers.

The district's total taxable property value stands at an estimated $75.22 billion for 2026-27. Enrollment is expected to fall to about 41,830 students, continuing a multiyear decline that squeezes state funding tied to average daily attendance.

Murphy families are directly affected through schools including Boggess Elementary, Hunt Elementary, Murphy Middle School and McMillen High School, all within Plano ISD boundaries.

The seven-member board is led by President Dr. Lauren Tyra, Vice President Nancy Humphrey and Secretary Katherine Goodwin. Other trustees are Michael Cook, Sam Johnson, Tarrah Lantz and Elisa Klein. Superintendent Dr. Theresa Williams leads the district. Individual vote tallies from the Aug. 4 meeting have not yet been posted.

The board is scheduled to vote on the rate again at its Tuesday, Aug. 18, work session. Residents can contact the board through the district's website at pisd.edu.