Voters on Tuesday decide school funding for 26 school districts across metro Phoenix
Voters in dozens of school districts across Maricopa County will determine major district bond and override funding requests in today’s election.
Some schools need security upgrades. Other district leaders say they need funds to build new schools. Some are asking for taxpayer money to keep teacher salaries competitive.
This election is being conducted entirely through mail-in ballot. If you haven’t yet mailed in your ballot, you must drop it off in person at any polling location by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Find a list of vote centers here.
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What are bonds and overrides?
Bonds and overrides affect local property taxes. School districts do some of the math in estimating the impact on voters’ taxes and provide that in the voter pamphlets, which can be found on the Maricopa County School Superintendent website.
A bond may be issued by public school districts to pay for longer-term projects, such as building new schools, renovating existing ones or investing in technology and transportation infrastructure. Voters approve the sale of bonds to raise money for these projects.
An override can increase a district’s classroom budget by up to 15% for seven years, though the last two years are used for phasing out the override. This is why school districts typically ask voters to renew existing overrides in their fifth year, to avoid a phase-down.
The two types of overrides districts are asking for this year are:
Maintenance and operations overrides, the most common type of overrides that are used for operational expenses such as teacher salaries and student programs.
District additional assistance overrides, which supplement capital funding and typically fund technology, books and other equipment.
School bonds and overrides on the ballot in Maricopa County
