The 2022 Citizens’ Bond Advisory Committee will have five meetings through May that are open to the public. All meetings will be 4-6 p.m. at the district office, 6330 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale. Meeting dates or times may be subject to change depending on the needs of the committee. For more information, visit, peoriaunified.org. Meetings are as follows.
The Peoria Unified School Board will try once again to put a bond on the ballot to fund much needed capital improvements.
The district has formed the 2022 Citizens’ Bond Advisory Committee, and recently the school board approved its purpose, members, proposed meeting dates, and reporting timelines.
Bond funds would cover priority and essential needs such as a new school, security and safety projects, roofing, HVAC, as well as plumbing and electrical.
Superintendent Jason Reynolds said the committee will begin to seek feedback from entire community.
“And there will be an avenue for community members across the district to provide that feedback,” he said.
Committee meetings, which are open to the public, will begin March 2 and run through May.
The committee is made up of five returning members from the 2020 bond committee and six new members.
PUSD CFO Michelle Myers will co-facilitate.
The purpose of the 2022 Citizens’ Bond Advisory Committee is to make a recommendation to the governing board regarding calling for a bond election, Nov. 8. If the recommendation of the committee is that PUSD should go out for a bond, the committee will also recommend amounts to correspond with the recommendation.
The governing board will receive committee updates via written reports from administration following each committee meeting, in addition to the public meeting minutes. Members will provide a final report and recommendation on or before the May 26, 2022 governing board meeting, and the committee will terminate after the final report and recommendation is issued.
Three bond attempts have failed since the 2012 bond was approved by voters, leaving the district with minimal bond funds that will be expend by June 30, 2022.
President David Sandoval said the district has had a need for a bond since before he was elected in 2016.
“What we have realized over the last couple years is, I think, there has been some light shed on some needs that we might not have known of or been aware of prior to the pandemic, so I appreciate the intentionality to really listen and understand what is most compelling to them as it relates to this particular process,” he said.
Bonds are essentially low interest loans made to a school district, which are used to purchase capital items such as technology and transportation, fund improvements to existing facilities, as well as fund new schools. Voters approve the sale of bonds to raise money for these projects. Taxpayers pay off bonds over time through property taxes.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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