How Mesquite ISD Is Getting More Students Ready for College — and What It Takes to Keep Going

In Mesquite ISD, more students are leaving high school ready for what comes next. Seventy percent of the Class of 2025 met college-readiness benchmarks, up from 54% the year before.

There's no single program behind the gains. Mesquite has built college and career readiness into the whole high school experience: what students learn in class, how educators use data, the advice students get and the chances they have to earn college credit or a workforce credential before they graduate.

What's Working

Readiness is part of everyday teaching. Mesquite reworked parts of its 11th- and 12th-grade math and English courses so the skills students need on college-readiness tests come up in regular lessons, not just in test prep.

More students can earn college credit in high school. Through a higher education partner, more Mesquite teachers have completed the graduate coursework required to teach dual credit. That has expanded dual-credit options across the district's high schools and made access more even from campus to campus.

Data points students to their next step. Counselors and teachers use dashboards showing which college- and career-readiness benchmarks each student has met and where gaps remain. That lets them have specific conversations with students instead of general ones.

Career pathways count too. Nine in 10 Mesquite high schoolers take part in career and technical education, and the district has aligned coursework with industry certifications that employers value.

Advising starts earlier. Counselors are mapping out pathways with students earlier in high school, so they know which courses and tests they need along the way.

These gains didn’t start in high school. Mesquite invested early in literacy, and the share of sixth graders reading on grade level doubled from 2021 to 2024. Students who read on grade level by middle school have the foundation to take on tougher high school courses, including dual credit.

Every One of These Gains Runs on People

Dual-credit teachers. Counselors. CTE instructors. Every strategy above depends on skilled people, and Prop A gives Mesquite the opportunity to keep the educators who made this progress possible.

The district has already tightened its belt, cutting about $50 million over the past two years, including more than 100 teaching positions. But operating costs have risen nearly 20% in recent years. Prop A is how Mesquite holds on to its gains instead of giving them back.

On Nov. 3, Mesquite voters will decide Proposition A, a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election. Unlike the $600 million bond voters approved in 2025, which by law can only pay for buildings, Prop A funds the people and programs inside them. It would bring in about $16 million a year for:

• At least a 2% compensation raise for every full-time employee, plus more substitute coverage, and help filling hard-to-staff jobs
• Fine arts, athletics, and career programs, which reach 81% of K–12 students, about 5,000 athletes and 90% of high schoolers
• Special education staffing and services
• District-employed campus security required under state law

For a typical homeowner, that's about $8.75 a month on a $250,000 home with the standard homestead exemption. Homeowners 65 and older who have the senior exemption keep their school taxes frozen; Prop A doesn't change that. Mesquite's operating tax rate is currently one of the lowest in the region, and Prop A would bring it in line with most neighboring districts.

Why it Matters Beyond the Classroom

Most Mesquite voters don't have a child in the district right now. But a student who graduates with college credit or a credential is more likely to earn a living wage, fill the jobs that fuel Mesquite’s economy, stay in the community, and support the businesses and neighborhoods around them. Strong schools are part of what keeps Mesquite a place families choose.

"Strong schools bring in jobs, keep families rooted here, and protect the value of the homes we’ve worked hard for,” said Jeff Casper, a Mesquite ISD parent and Mesquite City Council member.

Frequently Asked Questions: Mesquite ISD Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election

What is a VATRE?

A Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election. Texas law requires a school district to get voter approval before raising its operating tax rate above a set limit. Prop A asks Mesquite voters to approve a 9-cent increase in the district's maintenance and operations (M&O) rate.

How much would it cost me if I live in Mesquite ISD?

About $8.75 a month for a $250,000 home with the standard $140,000 homestead exemption. Your amount depends on your home's taxable value. Learn more on the district’s Prop A page here.

I'm 65 or older. Will my school taxes go up?

No. If you have the over-65 homestead exemption, your school taxes are frozen, and Prop A doesn't change that.

Didn't voters just approve a bond in 2025?

Yes. But bond money can only pay for buildings, renovations, buses and technology. By law it can't pay teachers, counselors, security staff or other daily operating costs. Prop A pays for those.

What has Mesquite ISD already done to save money?

A lot. The district has cut about $50 million over the past two years, including more than 100 teaching positions. But costs have risen nearly 20% in recent years, about 85% of the budget goes to people, and new state requirements for special education and campus safety have arrived without enough state funding to cover them.

How will I know the money is spent as promised?

Mesquite ISD earned a [Superior / A] rating in the state’s most recent School FIRST review, which grades how well districts manage public money. The district also posts its budget and financial reports online.

What exactly would Prop A pay for?

At least a 2% compensation raise for all full-time employees, more substitute coverage, help recruiting and keeping staff in hard-to-fill roles, continued access to fine arts, athletics, and career programs, and district-employed campus security required by state law.

When and where do I vote?

Early voting runs Oct. 19–30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dallas County voters can vote at any county polling place. Find locations at https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/. Prop A will be near the bottom of your ballot.