Following the Nederland Independent School District’s vote to pursue a $155.6 million bond election, social media’s been abuzz with discussion about what impact the bond would have on property taxes if approved May 4.

During the final Citizen Advisory Committee meeting in February, RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Dusty Traylor said the total tax increase for the district would be 33 cents per $100. The current tax rate for the school district is $1.15 per $100 and would rise to $1.48 per $100 if both bonds pass.

At least one social media post going around Nederland claims homeowners could see an additional $1,500 in taxes if the propositions are passed. The total amount in school district taxes would go from $1,150 to $1,480 per year for a home valued at $100,000.

“On that amount, the (school) tax increase would be approximately $27.50 (a month) per $100,000 in taxable value on your home,” Traylor said. “We tend to keep it at $100,000 increments for easy math.”

Homes valued at $200,000 would double the increase. Homes valued at $300,000 would triple, and so on.

According to Zillow.com, the average price of a home in Nederland is about $150,000, which means the average homeowner would see a tax increase of $41.25 per month.

Nederland homeowners can use the homestead exemption to reduce the valuation of their home taxes by $25,000, which means a home valued at $125,000 would only have to pay taxes for $100,000.

If every homeowner uses the homestead exemption, the average homeowner would pay $34.38 per month, which is $412 a year and a conservative estimate of $10,300 over the life of the 25-year bond. Homeowners who are 65 years old or older will not see an increase in school taxes due to a homestead exemption, which caps their property taxes.

In February, the CAC recommended six projects to the NISD board of trustees for bond election. The next day, the board voted to package five projects together —new high school, elementary school new learning areas and improvements, middle school improvements, technology incentives, safety and security — at the cost of $151.1 million and stadium upgrades at $4.5 million.

The district will hold community information meetings at each of the seven campuses. The first two meetings will be at Nederland High School and Helena Park Elementary at 5:30 p.m. on March 18 and 19, respectively.