In 1999 we bought our first house and were so proud to call Fountain Hills our new home.

I remember thinking what a “hometown” feel Fountain Hills had.

I was newly married with no children, but loved the little community and the atmosphere that went with it.

After having our first child, my husband and I decided that Fountain Hills was the only place we wanted to call home. Both of us enjoyed the scenery and, most importantly, the “Excelling” schools. Education was a high priority when deciding where we should live.

Our daughter is now in second grade and our son is in third. During the years my children have been in the FHUSD I have volunteered in class and with the Fountain Hills PTO. I’m currently its president.

I love being part of an organization with a primary goal of helping the schools. We’re being asked to help our schools by voting yes on two ballot items.

The override is a continuance of an override passed in 2009. It is not a new tax increase.

The bond will provide the funding to upgrade aging infrastructure and improve safety and security, which will result in lower annual operating costs, too!

It is important for these two items to pass for our district to be able to keep class sizes small, offer all-day kindergarten, education programs, training for teachers and to continue to maintain school buildings for the safety of our children.

Even if you do not have children in our school system, I encourage you to be mindful of the impact the success of our district has on our community as a whole.

Not only is FHUSD the largest employer in Fountain Hills, having excelling schools has a direct impact on our property values when people are choosing between our town and neighboring communities.

Please vote “yes” twice!