The Texas Legislature on Tuesday, May 20 passed Senate Bill 843, a measure that will require the Texas Education Agency to develop a publicly accessible online database containing detailed financial information about school district and charter school bonds, taxes and related construction projects.

The bill, authored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and sponsored in the House by Rep. Keith Buckley, passed both chambers with bipartisan support. It aims to increase transparency in how public schools manage bond-funded projects and how those decisions affect local property taxes.

Under the new law, the TEA must collect and publish information about each school bond that is proposed or approved, including ballot language, election outcomes, tax rate impacts and specific projects funded through those bonds. The database will also track maintenance taxes approved or proposed by school districts and charter schools and include the results of any related elections.

In addition to financial data, the system will include descriptions of capital projects, such as new buildings or major renovations, with information about project costs, funding sources and overall size. Users will be able to generate reports by district or geographic area, and the platform will include a feature to request updates or corrections to posted information.

School districts and open-enrollment charter schools will be required to submit timely and accurate information to the agency in order to keep the database up to date. The TEA may contract with a third party to assist with building or maintaining the system.

The measure is scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, 2025, but implementation depends on whether the Legislature appropriates specific funding for the project. If not, the agency may still move forward using other available funds, though it is not required to do so.

Supporters say the new database will help voters and taxpayers better understand how local schools manage bond funding and taxation.

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