As the county continues to process votes for the Nov. 7 election, initial results point to voters approving Kyrene School District’s bond and override, even with calls from the Arizona GOP to vote no on bond measures.
In a social media post from Nov. 7, the party urged Arizona voters to stand for “accountable, efficient government” by voting against tax increases for local bond funding.
“Today’s vote is crucial. School bonds & overrides equal more tax burdens for us all. It’s time for responsible spending, not reckless taxing,” it wrote.
Leading up to the election, local media reports recorded some pushback to Kyrene’s proposed bond and override, as a number of signs supporting the election were vandalized throughout the community alongside official signs asking voters to deny the supplemental funding.
Kyrene estimates that the average homeowner in Kyrene’s boundaries would pay about $183 a year in secondary property taxes in order to fund the bond and override.
However, despite the efforts of some residents, the results released by the Maricopa County Elections Department at 8:01 p.m. on Nov. 7, show both the bond and override receiving over 50% of voters in support of them passing.
In a post-election statement from Kyrene’s Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Erin Helm, she wrote that the district is grateful for the community’s support of its bond and override, which are used to ensure schools are safe and well maintained.
“It’s clear that voters continue to prioritize Kyrene schools and a strong public education system,” Helm wrote.
Kyrene asked its voters to approve a $161 million bond and a $8.5 million District Additional Assistance override to go toward improvements for the district’s aging infrastructure at its 26 schools, administrative offices and transportation fleet.
“The funds approved by voters in this election will help to ensure safe transportation, secure facilities and technological advancement in the classroom, all in direct support of our Kyrene students,” Helm stated.
Over 90% of Kyrene’s capital expenditures and funding from 2019 to 2023 come from the district’s bond and override, with state funding accounting for less than 10% of funding in this category.
If the bond or override are denied after final voting results are released, Kyrene has another chance in 2024 to secure bond and override funding before its current bond and override dollars run out.
For information on Kyrene’s budget, visit www.kyrene.org/budget.
Reporter Caroline Yu can be reached at cyu@iniusa.org. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Caroline Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.
Community: She is a supporter of the environment and tries to get involved with related community events.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in French.
Random Fact: She used to be a ballet dancer for 10 years.
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