The residents of Fountain Hills are once again being asked to consider a Maintenance and Operations override for Fountain Hills Unified School District, a measure that has been supported locally since the 1990s.
While our 1A coverage of the override piles on the information, there are a few key points voters should understand before filling out their mail-in ballot. We encourage everyone to learn as much as they can about this measure before casting a vote.
For starters, this is an increase to the override that has been in effect for nearly two decades, moving from 13 percent to 15 percent. What most taxpayers want to know is “how will this affect me, specifically?” In short, an approval would raise annual contributions by about $3 per $100,000 of assessed value of a home. In previous years, the grand total was about $21 per $100,000 of assessed value of a home. If approved, the new figure would be approximately $24. So, as an example, the contribution from a taxpayer whose home has an assessed value of $300,000 would be about $72 annually.
The second question most folks wonder about is where, exactly, this money will go. The short answer is staff and programs. The Maintenance and Operations budget primarily goes toward teacher salaries. As outlined in the voter information packets that will be hitting mailboxes soon, approval of the M&O override would help fund salaries and benefits, as well as provide full-day kindergarten, professional development for staff, maintain programs, etc.
We encourage our readers to dig into the details, ask questions for clarification and, when you’ve made up your mind, remember to vote by Nov. 7.
