Higley board urges ‘yes’ vote on override to protect programs, class sizes
Screen capture from YouTube
The Higley USD Governing Board will ask voters this Novembers to renew the district's 15% maintenance and operations override. From left are board members Scott Glover, President Amanda Wade, Anna Van Hoek and Sara Jarman. Board Member Tiffany Shultz attended by phone.
The Higley Unified School District Governing Board will encourage voters to approve a 15% maintenance and operations override in the upcoming November election, saying it is essential to preserving the quality of education for the district’s 12,500 students.
The board will warn that without voter approval, the district will be forced to move into Phase II of budget cuts, which could further affect classrooms, staffing and student programs.
Overrides last for seven years in Arizona, but the final two years of that period they begin to sunset by one-third each year until they expire, unless renewed. Higley’s override, which raised more than $14 million for the district when in full effect, enters the first year of its sunset period in fiscal year 2025-26.
Already, the failure of the override continuation in the last election cycle led to $5.1 million in cuts for the coming fiscal year. Those reductions included the elimination of library aides, academic coaches and staffing reductions.
The board says another $5 million will need to be cut in the coming year without renewed override funding.
“An estimated $5 million in cuts will be needed next year for Phase II and will include eliminating programs and increasing class sizes,” the board’s statement reads. “A ‘yes’ vote will prevent Phase II cuts from occurring.”
The statement will appear in voter information pamphlets distributed before the mail-in election this fall. It was approved with minor language and formatting changes on a 3-2 vote by the board June 10 with board members Anna Van Hoek and Sara Jarman dissenting.
The board’s statement emphasizes that Arizona public school districts receive comparatively less funding per student from the state and must rely on local support through voter-approved measures like this override.
The override allows the district to continue funding programs and services that go beyond the state’s minimum requirements.
“A ‘yes’ vote on the budget override will support: Teacher salaries, smaller class sizes, elementary programs including music, art and library, (and) electives and extracurriculars at all levels,” the board stated.
Higley officials highlight the district’s academic reputation, calling it “an A-rated district providing high quality education,” and note that it has been “nationally recognized for fiscal responsibility.”
However, Van Hoek, who has opposed district bond and override questions, emphasized transparency and financial context.
“Our proposed budget M&O reflects a 19.2% reduction from last year,” she said, and noted the district is still carrying forward about $15 million in reserves, or “roughly about 12.8% of our total M&O budget.”
The board’s statement frames the vote as a critical decision that will affect whether the district can continue offering the level of education families expect.
“We offer superior competitive education focused on responsible citizenship,” the statement read. “Join us in voting ‘yes’ on the override to make sure it stays that way.”
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here