Public school taxes involve two figures, which divide the school district budget into two "buckets."  The first bucket is the Maintenance and Operations budget (M&O), which funds daily costs and recurring or consumable expenditures such as teacher and staff salaries, supplies, food, gas, and utilities.  Approximately 80% of the district's M&O revenue goes to teacher and staff salaries.  The second bucket is the Interest and Sinking budget (I&S), also known as Debt Service, and that is used to repay debt for longer-term capital improvements approved by voters through bond elections. 

Proceeds from a bond issue can be used for the construction and renovation of facilities, the acquisition of land and the purchase of capital items such as equipment, technology, and transportation.  I&S funds cannot by law be used for M&O expenses, which means that voter-approved bonds cannot be used to increase teacher salaries or pay rising costs for utilities and services.  However, funds from the voter-approval tax rate elections may be used for salaries or operating costs.