Some Mesa Public Schools high schools date back to the 1960s with Mesa and Westwood as the district’s oldest high schools. Now, the school is seeking more money to improve these schools and others as the district seeks over $449 million.
On the Nov. 3 ballot, Mesa residents will have the option to approve or deny Proposition 419 — a bond of over $449 million for infrastructure, technology and transportation improvements — and Proposition 420, which allows the district to sell, lease or exchange roughly 23 acres of property that is currently vacant.
MPS says the bond would cost taxpayers $0.81 per $100 assessed on property in the district, or about $240 a year for a $300,000 property.
Conservative board member Sharon Benson took to social media in August to share that she would be voting no on Prop, 419 because she claims the district passed a bond in 2019 and did not spend that money on plumbing and air-conditioning updates.
“I believe our community does not trust that the district will use taxpayer money wisely when it comes to the bond,” Benson said in a video on social media.
Benson said in her video that the district used Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, known as ESSER for infrastructure help, which were disbursed across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic when many schools had to change their instructional models.
A report from August 2024 shows the district used around $90 million in ESSER funds to support student mental and physical health. Around 70%, or $63 million, went to HVAC upgrades throughout the district.
Benson said that the district needs over $1.4 billion to make all of the needed updates to the
One community member criticized Benson for her stance on the proposition and said that because of it, they should reconsider her position on the board.
“And while you’re filling out that ballot, vote for school board candidates who love our district and want it to thrive, not candidates who seem bent on destroying it,” Pam Bach, a former district high school teacher, said at the Aug. 27 governing board meeting.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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