What can a school newsletter legally say about a tax levy vote?

Public schools and school districts are generally prohibited under state law from using public funds, including staff time and school communication systems, to campaign for or advocate in favor of a levy. This means newsletters cannot tell families to vote yes, urge them to pass the levy, or use persuasive language designed to influence how they vote. What newsletters can do is share factual information: what the levy is, what it would fund, when the vote is, and where families can get more information. The line between informing and campaigning is crossed when language is designed to persuade rather than explain.

What should a school newsletter include about a tax levy vote?

Include: what the levy is and what it funds, what the current tax impact would be per household, when and where families can vote, what happens to funding if the levy fails, links to the official district information page or voter guide, and a clear statement that the school is providing factual information and not advocating for a particular outcome. Keep the content factual. Avoid emotional appeals or language that implies a correct vote.

How do you explain what happens if a school levy fails without sounding like a campaign?

Describe the factual consequence. 'If the levy does not pass, the district has indicated it will implement $3.4 million in budget reductions beginning next school year. The district's published contingency plan describes which programs would be affected and is linked below.' That is factual communication. 'If the levy fails, our students will suffer' is campaign language. The first gives families information. The second tries to motivate a specific vote.

Can a teacher or principal personally advocate for a school levy?

This varies by state. In most states, school employees can personally advocate for a levy on their own time, using their own resources, as private citizens. They generally cannot advocate during school hours, using school email or communication systems, or in their official capacity as a school employee. If you want to participate in levy advocacy, consult your district's legal counsel about what is permitted in your state. Do not assume that because something is common practice it is legally permitted.

How does Daystage help schools communicate about tax levy votes neutrally and effectively?

Daystage's newsletter format makes it easy to present structured factual information without visual elements that might imply advocacy, like colored banners or urgent call-to-action buttons. Schools that use Daystage for regular communication also have an established relationship with families before the levy communication arrives, which means families are more likely to read and trust the information. The consistent, professional format signals that the newsletter is an informational document, which matters when the content must be strictly neutral.

School Newsletter

A school tax levy vote puts principals in a uniquely constrained communication position. Families deserve to understand what they are voting on and what the outcome means for their school. At the same time, public schools in most states are legally prohibited from using public resources to advocate for a levy outcome. The newsletter has to be genuinely informative without crossing into campaign territory.

This guide covers what a levy communication newsletter can and should include, where the legal line falls, and how to give families everything they need to be informed voters without making the newsletter a campaign document.

Understand the legal limits first

Before drafting a single sentence, read your state's laws on the use of public funds for levy advocacy and your district's specific policy. Most states prohibit schools from using public resources, including staff time and school communication tools, to campaign for or against ballot measures. Some states also have specific rules about what factual information schools can distribute.

Your district's legal counsel should have guidance on this. Ask for it. Do not rely on what other principals in your district have done in previous years. Previous practice is not legal protection.

The core principle in most states is this: informing is permitted, advocating is not. Telling families what the levy funds is informing. Telling families they should vote yes is advocating. Describing the consequences of a levy failure in factual terms is informing. Using language designed to make families feel the consequence in a way that motivates a yes vote is advocating.

What the levy funds: factual and specific

Families who do not understand what the levy funds cannot make an informed decision about how to vote. Your newsletter should explain this in plain language.

Describe each funding category the levy covers. Staff positions, facilities, technology, programs. For each one, give the specific dollar amount and what it pays for. Do not use phrases like "critical programs" or "essential services" because those are evaluative terms. Say "the levy funds 12 teaching positions in grades K through 3" instead of "the levy funds critical early childhood positions."

If the levy renews an existing tax rather than adding a new one, say that. Families who do not know the levy is a renewal may assume a yes vote means a new tax increase.

What the levy will cost families

Include a clear, simple description of the tax impact. How much will the levy cost per year for a home at the district's median assessed value? How does that compare to the current rate?

Use the number the district has officially published. Do not estimate or calculate independently. If the official cost figure is contested or unclear, link to the official district document and note that the district has published detailed calculations there.

Families who do not know what the levy costs them personally tend to assume it costs more than it does. Providing the actual figure serves their ability to make an informed decision.

What happens if the levy fails

This is the section where it is easiest to cross from information into advocacy. Getting it right requires precision.

Describe the district's published contingency plan, not a worst-case scenario you are forecasting. "If the levy does not pass, the district has indicated it will need to reduce expenditures by approximately $2.8 million. The district's contingency plan, available at [link], details the specific reductions under consideration." That is factual.

Avoid language that implies the consequences are certain beyond what the district has officially published, or that implies the consequences are designed to persuade. You are not trying to scare families into voting yes. You are trying to help them understand what a no vote might mean based on what the district has said publicly.

When and how families can vote

Include the vote date, polling locations, and hours. If your district has early voting or mail-in voting options, include those as well. If there is a voter registration deadline that applies to families who may not be registered, include that date.

Format this section as a list or table rather than a paragraph. Families who are looking for polling location information should not have to read three paragraphs to find it.

If there is a district voter guide or information hotline, link to it directly. Families who want more detail should have a clear path to find it.

Where families can learn more

Give families links to the primary sources. The district's official levy information page, the full budget document if it is publicly available, the contingency plan, the ballot language. Do not summarize when you can link.

If there are community information meetings about the levy, include those dates and locations. If there is a district-sponsored Q and A session, include it. Do not include events organized by advocacy groups for the levy, even if their information is accurate. Your newsletter should not appear to be affiliated with a campaign.

What to avoid in the newsletter language

Some specific phrases that should not appear in a school newsletter about a levy vote: "vote yes," "support the levy," "our children's future depends on," "don't let this fail," "help us pass," and any variation of encouraging a specific vote.

Also avoid visual framing that implies advocacy. A headline in bold green that says "VOTE ON MAY 20" is information. A headline in bold green over a photo of smiling students that says "HELP PROTECT OUR SCHOOLS" is advocacy. Keep the formatting consistent with your normal newsletter style.

Include a clear statement of neutrality

End the levy section with a sentence that explicitly states the newsletter's purpose. "This information is provided to help families understand the upcoming vote. The school is not advocating for or against the levy. Families are encouraged to review the resources linked above and make their own informed decision."

That statement protects you legally, and it also signals to families that you are treating them as capable of making their own decision with accurate information. That is the right relationship between a school and its community on a ballot question.

School Newsletter: Tax Levy Vote Communication Guide