Gilbert voters will be asked to vote on a maintenance and operations budget override renewal on the November ballot after a 4-1 decision by the Gilbert Unified School District governing board.
More than 150 people filled and spilled out of the district governing board room during the long discussion about the issue.
Arizona public schools receive funding from the state based on the number of students enrolled. Public school districts can ask taxpayers to tax themselves to provide additional funds.
The Gilbert Unified School District has had the current 10 percent override in place since 2003. For the district, the override provides more than $17 million annually.
Most of the maintenance and operations budget provides staff salaries and benefits.
After more than an hour of public comments – both in favor and against putting the issue on the ballot – the five-member elected board made their own comments.
Staci Burk, the lone dissenting vote, expressed concern about fiscal responsibility of the district, as well as “excessive expenditures” in areas of consulting, travel and software. She said constituents have talked to her about their concern about a lack of transparency in the district’s budget.
She also raised questions about cuts the administration recommended at the last meeting, should the override not be on the ballot or should it fail. During a meeting last week, district leaders said class sizes would need to be increased and cuts would need to be made in art and music, if the override disappears.
Board member Blake Sacha noted that he has done “extensive research” on the district’s budget, including during his time on the recent community budget committee.
“I’ve been the recipient of an awful lot of information form the district. I can tell you there are opportunities to be more efficient with our spending, and as a board member you will have my pledge to address those issues. But there is not $17 million to be found. Therefore I strongly support referring this to the ballot.”
Though the Legislature now allows governing boards to ask for a 15 percent override, the measure approved Tuesday night puts a 10 percent override question on the Nov. 6 ballot.
The Chandler Unified School District governing board voted early last month to also put a maintenance and operations budget override renewal on the Nov. 6 ballot. The Mesa Unified School District governing board voted Tuesday night to put a $230 million bond question on the ballot to pay for technology and facilities needs.
The Mesa district also has a budget override in place. Renewal of that override could be asked of voters as soon as November 2013.
Contact writer: (480) 898-6549 or mreese@evtrib.com
republicaningilbert posted at 9:57 am on Wed, Jun 6, 2012.
The town threatened to cut police and fire if prop 406 did not pass. It didn't pass and not a single firefighter or police officer was cut, more were hired.
Efficiency is key. A no vote in November will put and average of $200 a year back into the bank account of each Gilbert homeowner.
quietgardens posted at 12:47 pm on Wed, Jun 6, 2012.
Every year the budget comes. And when it comes to education the reoccuring "solutions" are pay freezes, larger class sizes and higher taxes. When I worked in the school district, waste was everywhere! You weren't provided pencils or reading books for beginning readers, but we did have the big fancy new interactive smartboards, that kept breaking down that cost thousands of dollars. They couldn't afford to fix the tile cleaning machine for the cafeteria or the vaccuums that keep the building clean, but we did have money for the shade structures in the parking lot. I am all one for improving schools, but priorities and spending need to be aligned, and balanced every year. I have never heard the word "audit" come out of any school/district employee ever as a suggestion to control the spending sprees.
ChillbertAZ posted at 9:11 pm on Wed, Jun 6, 2012.
Look into how much money the high ranking school administrators make. Its all BS.
Anyone who votes to raise their own taxes is a moron. What ever happened to the lottery money that was supposed to go to the schools? Hmmm. They have 52 cops on the streets every night in Gilbert pulling people over crossing over the bike lane
while making a right turn, and forcefully drawing blood from anyone who is involved in a traffic stop, regardless of the situation. Don't believe me? Don't think it would happen to you? Think again. Drive in this town after 11pm and see for yourself.
It was never like this before, so maybe cutting that would help with the budget. The school officials skim so much off the top, that';s why there is no transparency. There is a math teacher at Gilbert Jr. High who can't do math to save her life, and I had to grade everything she graded becasue she didn't know right from wrong. Idiot. Maybe get rid of this useless nonsense and waste of taxpayer dollars.