At the Oct. 24 Governing Board meeting, Fountain Hills Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Allen presented a report to the school board concerning bond and override spending for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Arizona law requires that a school district which receives funding from bonds or overrides hold a yearly meeting to update the public on how funds are being spent.

FHUSD currently has two overrides in effect, as well as funding from one bond election.

The $8 million dollar bond was passed in Nov. 2013 to provide funding for capital improvements in the district such as safety and security upgrades, along with facilities upgrades.

Dr. Allen reported that in the 2017-18 fiscal year, the bond had a budget of $1,203,325 and that $536,069 of it was spent.

The money was spent on capital improvements, like the installation of fiber optic internet to District sites.

Money from the bond was also spent on the renovation of McDowell Mountain Elementary School’s front office.

Dr. Allen told the board that the bond’s remaining balance of $525,063 would be spent in the current fiscal year.

One of the two overrides in affect at FHUSD is a 13 percent Maintenance and Operations override, which was passed in Nov. 2013.

The override, which will be in effect until June 2021, is used primarily to maintain staff salaries and benefits.

The M&O override had a budget of $1,073,575 last year with $1,229,560 being spent. The additional $155,985 spent was not from the override but from existing M&O funds and went to those areas that the override supplements.

A majority of the money was used to provide employees with medical, dental and life insurance. The override also funds McDowell Mountain’s full-day kindergarten program.

For the 2018-19 fiscal year voters have approved a 15 percent M&O override.

The final override in place is a 10 percent Capital Outlay override, which was voted on in Nov. 2014 and lasts until June 2022.

The capital override had a budget of $2,268,680 in the 2017/18 fiscal year. A total of $754,745 was spent on textbooks, new golf carts for the high school and furniture for the classrooms.