Texas School Funds and Senate Race Put Public Money in Play

Plano ISD could contribute up to $250 million toward a proposed Dallas Stars arena. The city has proposed another $700 million in public funding for the project. The district says its share would come from future tax revenue generated by new development, not existing classroom funds. The final amount depends on projections and state law.

Public revenue and the arena

The agreement uses a tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, at the former Shops at Willow Bend site. The district expects to contribute over an estimated 18 years, with the money going into a city-administered fund for public improvements in the redevelopment zone, which includes the arena.

Plano ISD says changes to the amount it owes the state under current law should offset the agreement. The district projects it’ll receive about $438 million over the same period, or $188 million more than its projected contribution. Those figures are projections, not guarantees.

Texas’ school funding system, called the “recapture program” or “Robin Hood,” requires property-wealthy districts such as Plano ISD to send part of their local property tax revenue to the state to help fund public education. The district says redevelopment around the arena could grow its tax base by $7.3 billion and generate long-term revenue for schools. Whether those projections hold depends on future property values, economic conditions and state law.

The city’s proposed $700 million contribution would come through a venue tax that voters will decide on in the upcoming election. Plano ISD approved its agreement in August, and the Plano City Council approved it on Oct. 12. The deal could also let the district hold graduation ceremonies at the proposed arena instead of the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.

Some residents question directing school district resources toward the arena. “I really am not too keen on the idea of moving money away from the schools,” said Bryan Beck, a lifelong Plano resident and Plano East Senior High School graduate.

Finance expert Sriram Villapura said the district’s potential benefit depends on whether redevelopment produces the expected results. “If there is better enrollment, yes, they’ll benefit from the extra money,” he said. “Otherwise, I’m not very sure what’s the point of that extra money coming back to Plano ISD from the new tax base.” He added that “it could potentially be more money might be going out of Plano ISD.”

A Senate candidate courts voters

At a CNN town hall Wednesday night, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico defended his Christian faith and abortion-rights stance, while arguing Texans share common ground across political divisions. Audience members asked him about abortion, biblical authority, gender-affirming care, national debt, Ukraine and immigration.

“I am tired of us being divided into teams: left versus right, blue versus red, urban versus rural,” Talarico said. “The truth is, we’re all on the same team.” A former public-school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian student, Talarico is running against state Attorney General Ken Paxton. He’s seeking to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since 1988.

Talarico said the Texas abortion ban had created dangerous outcomes for women facing medical emergencies. He argued that people who disagree on abortion could unite around reducing unwanted pregnancies and abortions, and called for treating the issue as a public-health problem rather than a culture-war dispute.

On federal spending, Talarico called rising debt obligations “intergenerational theft.” He proposed ending tax loopholes benefiting billionaires and wealthy Americans, pursuing a more restrained foreign policy and seeking greater government efficiency. He said the war in Iran costs taxpayers $1 billion a day. In his view, the conflict drains resources, drives up fuel costs and risks additional U.S. casualties.

Talarico defended continued U.S. support for Ukraine, describing it as a possible cost-saving measure to prevent further conflict elsewhere. On immigration enforcement, he said ICE has a legitimate purpose but should focus on violent criminals, gang members and cartels. He said recent enforcement actions had also targeted longtime residents, including “Uber drivers,” small-business owners, grandmothers and infants.

Campaign claims and polling

Paxton didn’t attend the town hall. He announced a statewide bus tour that will start Saturday and accused Talarico of trying to dismantle the oil and gas industry and waging a “war on Texas energy.” Vice President JD Vance rallied for Paxton in East Texas on Tuesday, days after President Donald Trump held a rally in San Antonio.

A Marist poll released Wednesday found Talarico leading Paxton 47 percent to 45 percent among likely voters, within a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Among registered voters, Talarico had a 4-point lead, down from 6 points a month earlier; 52 percent of independents said they backed him. Paxton’s favorability stood at 34 percent favorable and 56 percent unfavorable, though 53 percent of likely voters expected him to win.