Twenty-six school districts in Maricopa County have ballot measures pertaining to funding, whether it’s a bond, override and/or district additional assistance, which is a capital override. According to the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office, the combined bond amount with 14 districts requesting is more than $2 billion.
For some school districts, this election is key.
A bond typically goes toward building new schools, and renovating campuses which could include security features and technological upgrades. An override usually helps pay for staff salaries and programs for students such as all-day kindergarten or elective classes.
The Deer Valley Unified School District is asking for both a bond and an override. This is the second year the district is asking for these two measures as they both failed in November 2023, with about 55% of those who voted saying no to each bond and override.
“Our logic was the amount of voters that came out was very low. About 26% of our voters came out of registered voters, it wasn’t really an indication of the community that this is what we believe,” said Dr. Curtis Finch, the superintendent of DVUSD.
Since this November is a presidential election, there will be a much higher turnout.
If the Deer Valley Unified School District doesn’t pass its override this year, cuts will start coming in the 2025-2026 school year. Finch said they will have to start cutting $11 million each year for the next three years, which amounts to $33 million unless they get an override passed.
Finch said their district is going to face issues with their quick growth due to the TSMC plant in their area and the lack of funds could amount to larger class sizes and lack of staff. In 2023, the district said it saw about 400 new students from Taiwan in just a year and a half.
However, some voters, not even in just Deer Valley Unified, are voting no for their local school bonds and override measures. The Queen Creek Unified School District had its bond fail for the last three November elections. However, this year, the district is only going for an override and not a bond.
The district spokesperson sent a statement when ABC15 asked about the district not asking for a bond:
“Every five years, Arizona school districts are required to ask voters to reauthorize M&O Overrides to continue full funding. As 2024-2025 represents Year 5 for QCUSD, staff made the recommendation last spring to call for the continuation of the M&O Override to be placed on the November Ballot. Having been in place since 2015, this is not a new tax for the community. While staff cannot speak for the Governing Board, who ultimately makes the decision regarding ballot measures, the decision to forego the Bond this year and call for the Override continuation will maintain the level of funding that has been in place for nearly a decade.”
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William Jones is a parent who lives in the district, but his students attend a charter school. He told ABC15 he’s voted no on QCUSD’s previous election measures and plans to vote no on the district’s override.
“We're being forced to pay a tax on a school district that our children don't attend and it's unfair for those families to have to pay into these taxes where they don't benefit at all to the school district,” he said.
Jones said other schools that are not public school districts, face the same issues
“But they don't get any of that money,” he said.
He wants the system to be changed so that families whose students go to those districts only be taxed on their respective school district’s bond or overrides.
However, Finch says strong public schools benefit the entire community.
“If we don’t invest in our future, that’s how society decays over time,” he said. “If you don’t support the school system, at the local school system, then it starts to break down.”
For a list of other districts with election measures this November, click here.
