November 7, 2017 will be an important day for residents of the North Central Phoenix community. The reason? On November 7, in a special election, two local school districts, Osborn Elementary School District and Phoenix Union High School District, will ask voters to support their proposed bond sales and budget overrides to help improve their local schools.
A bond, simply stated, is a loan. When the bond is purchased by individuals, the school district receives the loaned funds and uses them for their specific school improvements. The funds generated from the purchase of the proposed bonds may only be used to make capital improvements on the school campuses, including structural repairs and renovations, or to pay for capital items, such as necessary furniture and equipment for classrooms, offices, playgrounds, and general gathering areas. Bond funds are prohibited from being used for any curriculum, instructional materials, or salaries. Budget overrides are requested when a school district is seeking to increase its capital budget. Budget override funds can be used to purchase instructional materials for teachers and students, curriculum, and additional technology for classrooms and school facilities.
Osborn Elementary School District determined the need for bond sales and a budget override based on a committee assessment of their schools facilities, equipment, instructional materials, student materials, and available software and technology. Osborn’s bond, a $50 million loan, will be used specifically to remodel and renovate old and outdated school facilities, school buildings, and school grounds, many of which are between 18 and 40 years old, and to help pay for the repair and maintenance of student transportation vehicles, such as busses.
The cost to homeowners for the approval of this bond is approximately $7.31 per month for a home within the Osborn district that is valued at roughly $102,133. The Osborn Elementary School District budget override is requesting a $1.5 million capital override approximated to cost homeowners within the district $3.20 per month for a home valued at approximately $102,133. The budget override funds will be used for school and administrative technology updates, curriculum and study material updates, new class textbooks and library books, and new teacher and student software.
Unlike the Osborn Elementary School District’s funding proposals, the bond sales and budget override proposals requested by the Phoenix Union High School District involve only an additional tax increase for the bond. There will be no increase for the budget override proposal. The lack of a tax increase for the proposed budget override is due to an existing budget override authorized by voters back in 2013. In short, the newly proposed budget override is an extension of the original 2013 override, and the costs passed onto homeowners are equal to the secondary tax rate homeowners in the area already pay. The Phoenix Union High School District reported that the extension of the 2013 budget override will help fund school support staff, performing arts, and the JROTC, as well as help maintain elective and college preparation courses, and continue to promote student leadership development.
The bond requested by Phoenix Union High School District would be for a total of $269 million, and is expected to be used for school renovations and remodels, improved technology, and the purchase of new student transportation vehicles. The cost of the bond for homeowners would be approximately $38 per year for a home with an assessed value of approximately $100,000.
