$15M bond election considered for Apache Junction school district

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

Voters living in the Apache Junction Unified School District may be asked in November to approve a $15 million bond to fund furniture, technology and equipment, such as repairing roofs that leak and installing cameras at elementary schools.

“So it rains in the transportation department, it rains in maintenance, it rains in food service — that shouldn’t be the way it is,” Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said during the AJUSD Governing Board’s April 23 meeting as part of a bond election update. “(P)eralta (Trail Elementary) needs a coat of paint badly, their roof needs to be fixed badly.... We need cameras on all of our elementary campuses, right? That’s the safe thing to do. We need fencing that is appropriate at our elementary schools... And we need the public’s help to fix it.”

AJUSD on March 8 filed a notice of election for candidates and a bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to the website of the Pinal County School Office. June 21 is the deadline for a school district to call for a November election, it states at the website.

The last bond that AJUSD passed was in 2004 and was for $49,850,000. The outstanding principal on that bond is $6,725,000 and it should be paid off in July 2025, Stifel, Nicolaus Co. Inc. Managing Director Bryan Lundberg said during an April 9 work session, according to the minutes of the meeting. Stifel has been engaged or appointed to serve as an underwriter or placement agent.

Going to voters for bonds totaling $10 million, $12 million and $15 million were discussed with final maturities of 15 to 20 years. At $15 million for 20 years, the cost would be $16 for each $100,000 in assessor’s home value and for 15 years would be $19 for each $100,000 in assessor’s home value, according to a document provided by Stifel to AJUSD.

It will cost around $10,000 to put the bond on the ballot with another $10,000 for printing and mailing of a voter pamphlet, it states in the work session minutes.

AJUSD Superintendent Pappalardo has met with local agencies and groups to see if voters would approve a bond election in November, he said during the April 23 Governing Board meeting.

“I’ve been visiting with lots of folks around town to get the pulse — the temperature — of where they’re at with ... a bond for about $15 million. Our bond that we currently have of $61 per $100 (limited assessed valuation) is going away and this one coming on for $17 per $100 (limited assessed valuation),” AJUSD Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said to the board. “(A)nd the temperature is pretty good,” he said.

“I have not had anyone say outright, ‘No, I’m not going to do it.’ They might say they are going to think about it, but they haven’t said ‘no.’” And these people I’ve talked to the last couple weeks say this has to get done for schools,” Pappalardo said.

Some of the funds would be used at Apache Junction High School, 2525 S. Ironwood Drive.

“You know, we’re talking about changing the whole look on Southern and Ironwood, right, if we do those things that need to be done for the high school. You’re talking about repairs that needed to be done years ago for all of the parking lots. You know, you have bathrooms that need to be upgraded, you have locker rooms that need to be upgraded that just haven’t been because you don’t have the funds to do that. The legislature is not giving you that money to do that,” the superintendent told the governing board.

Board discussion

Several AJUSD board members voiced their support of going out for bonds.

“I agree with the need. Our kids deserve the best that we can give them and unfortunately because of budgetary concerns it hasn’t been happening for the past probably 15-20 years now. It’s time to give them the things that they need,” said governing board member Bobby Bauder.

“It’s something we need to do,” board President Dena Kimble said.

Board member Gail Ross asked what term bond was to be sought.

“Are we going to entertain going out for a shorter-term bond or we’ve made the decision that we’re staying with the 20-year to keep the price down?” she asked.

“You guys haven’t decided that yet. If you’re asking me for a recommendation, my recommendation would be to keep the price down, go for 20,” Superintendent Pappalardo said. “When we get to that point, that would be my recommendation to make it as small as we can make it so it is more palatable for everybody because we understand that it is money.”

The funding is needed to keep up with what area school districts have, board member Cami Garcia said.

“Our kids deserve to have everything all the other districts have in our surrounding area. When you go to functions and you see the things that they have, the technology that they have, even at a football game the things that they have vs. us. I just think that it’s time for us to try to get these kids to want to be here,” she said.

The district has sought and used funding from other sources and now needs to turn to bonds, board Vice President Gil Cancio said.

“I ran on the fact that I would not be backing up a bond unless we had absolutely maxed out on using every possible dollar we could squeeze out of the School Facilities Board and I believe we have at this point in time,” he said. “Myself, I’m kind of leaning toward more the five to 10 years as far as going for a bond as opposed to the 20-year; I think we can end up saving interest a lot more going shorter.”

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.