Three East Valley school districts are seeking bond project approval from voters during the Nov. 2 election.
Kyrene Elementary School District and Chandler and Queen Creek unified school districts are asking voters for funds to pay for maintenance and improvements at their schools. In addition, Chandler's bond includes funds to build elementary schools and Queen Creek's plan includes technology for the classrooms.
Kyrene is also asking voters to continue approval of its capital budget override to increase and update technology equipment in the classroom.
Apache Junction Unified School District is also seeking an override, this one for maintenance and operations funds that are used primarily to pay salaries and benefits for employees.
Arizona school districts receive their funds for operations based on the number of students enrolled. Most of those funds come from the state or property taxes. Districts can receive additional funds through maintenance and operations or capital overrides and bond projects.
While maintenance and operations overrides go toward a district's general fund, bond and capital override money can only be used for capital projects, campus buildings and the purchase of equipment or other classroom supplies.
In the past few years, the Legislature has not funded the School Facilities Board, which grants maintenance and building money to schools. So districts rely on bonds and capital overrides to help make up that loss, school leaders say.
Kyrene Elementary School District's $116 million bond question
• What it would fund: Projects include heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; roofing and skylight systems; playgrounds and fields; electrical, lighting fire alarm systems; flooring and buses.
• Why? "It's needed more than in 2005 (the last bond issue) with all the cuts along with the School Facilities Board not being funded. It's more critical now than it was before," said Jeremy Calles, director of business services.
• Estimated additional annual cost to a homeowner, based on an assessed value of $100,000: $19.56
Kyrene Elementary School District's capital budget override
• What it would fund: Instructional support materials such as software, laptops, desktop computers, media center equipment, computer labs and network infrastructure.
• Why? A capital override is in place for seven years, with a one-third decrease in year five. The district is asking for the renewal in order to update technology to avoid losing the funds.
• Estimated additional annual cost to a homeowner, based on an assessed value of $100,000: $0 (an override is currently in place)
Chandler Unified School District's $84 million bond question
• What it would fund: new schools; land; school renovation; technology, furniture and equipment; buses; renovations to support facilities; and technology, furniture and equipment for support facilities.
• Why? A large portion of the bond money - $32 million - would go to buy land and build elementary schools in the district's growing southeastern area. The district will not be receiving any state funds for those schools since the Legislature cut funding to the Schools Facilities Board. The rest of the funds are designated for school renovation ($33 million); technology, equipment, furniture and buses ($17.5 million); and renovation to support facilities ($1.7 million).
• Estimated additional annual cost to a homeowner, based on an assessed value of $100,000: $8
Queen Creek Unified School District's $15 million bond question
• What it would fund: The district plans to use $8 million to purchase technology, furniture and equipment; $6 million is designated for school renovations and buildings; $1 million is planned for school vehicles, including buses.
• Why? Karen Fife, a Queen Creek mom and chairman of the bond support committee, said the district needs the funds because of cuts from the state. "We need this bond to just get the basics, let alone more technology," she said, noting that even with the 1 cent sale-tax increase approved by voters in May, "There were still cuts." The district's last bond election was in 2005 for $30 million.
• Estimated additional annual cost to a homeowner, based on an assessed value of $100,000: $25.11
A.J. Unified School District's maintenance and operations budget override
• What it would fund: The district reports funding will be used to increase teacher pay to compete with surrounding districts, purchase computers for student use, teacher training, school resource officers, and to update educational materials.
• Why? The override allows the district to spend 10 percent above its budget limit from the state. Voters have turned down previous requests to first renew then reinstate a previous maintenance and operations override. Most East Valley districts currently operate with an override in place.
• Estimated additional annual cost to a homeowner, based on an assessed value of $100,000: $56
soricobob posted at 6:36 am on Sun, Oct 24, 2010.
O.K. answer me this: if charter schools aren't the biggest money making machines in the state, why don't they need bonds and budget overrides? Is it because they are able to underpay their teachers, get rid of those that have experience, have no guidance counselors, employ administrators that do 2-3 jobs, and have no Superintendent/Assistant/Business Manager/Dietician. I know the charters do not have the ability to vote bonds, but they don't need them, and its not because they have the answer to streamlining office procedures; its just they can get away with murder!
Voiceofreason1965 posted at 9:23 am on Mon, Oct 25, 2010.
Sorico,
Charter schools receive approximately $1,100 dollars more in state funding than district schools because they do not have the ability to ask their voters for a bond or override.
Gilbert Unified, for example, would receive about $40 million more in annual state funding using the charter formula. Suffice to say the district would not have to ask for bonds or overrides if they received charter funding.
For the record, charter schools have much higher administrative costs than district schools. The auditor general documents that charter schools spend only 49 cents on the dollar. It's not that charter schools are doing anything wrong necessarily, but it's just the economy of scale and hard to be efficient when you are small.
Voiceofreason1965 posted at 9:24 am on Mon, Oct 25, 2010.
clarification: I meant additional $1,100 dollars more per student.
Voiceofreason1965 posted at 9:27 am on Mon, Oct 25, 2010.
Oops: only 49 cents on the dollar in the classroom.
I promise to edit before posting next time.
HoboJoe posted at 4:40 pm on Mon, Oct 25, 2010.
Vote no. This is how California got in such a mess with "just $19.00 here, $25.00 there, and etc." and it all adds up. Ask these Districts how much they spend (total dollars, not %) on Administration and how many various Directors and assistants they have running around District offices. How many District employees have District cars? Why don't the smaller Districts pool purchases of items from desks, food, buses, etc. to get a lower unit cost?
Also, ask for more specifics on what the bond money is for. How do they know how much certain items will cost if they haven't put out bids for various projects? What happens if like Tempe Elementary, they will end up with MUCH less bond money?
Sorry schools, you want to run things like a business, then run things like a business and not like you were given a blank check because you cried, "It is for the children."