Fountain Hills Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney spoke on behalf of the Override Committee during the May 9 Governing Board meeting, looking for guidance to bring back to the group for consideration when making a future election proposal.

The current Maintenance and Operations override went into effect in 2013 and lasts for seven years but, due to the nature of how overrides work, it is time to consider a future election. In short, Sweeney was looking for the Board’s input on the wording and timing of that future election item.

The Override Committee is made up of 18 members and is responsible for determining if and when FHUSD should seek an override election. Sweeney explained that a 100 percent consensus been reached concerning whether or not the District should pursue an override renewal and that a consensus had also been reached to move the percentage for said override from 13 percent to 15 percent.

So why is the District considering renewal of the override just a four years into its six year lifespan? As Sweeney explained, if an override is not renewed by the sixth year, the funds available to the District reduce by a third. A year later, they reduce by another third. After that, they are gone.

“We are currently in year three, with year four starting this August,” Sweeney explained.

Concerning the timing, if an override is not passed this November, then the District would have a second opportunity to seek approval in 2018, if needed. If met with failure both times, that would mean a reduction in monies of $328,000 beginning in the current overrides sixth year.

Sweeney also pointed out that the timing of a 2017 election would be beneficial, as no other local ballot initiatives are expected this November.

As far as what the funding of the override provides FHUSD, monies are currently planned to continue to provide full-day kindergarten, increase salaries for local teachers, maintain staffing, provide funds to supplement program costs and provide professional development. These are considered general areas and could be redirected over the course of the override, depending on what is deemed best by the current Governing Board.

Board member Dr. Wendy Barnard said that the benefit of override funding is that it can only be directed to one specific area.

“No matter what, the funding is classroom-facing,” she said. “That’s teachers and students.”

The override currently adds about $1 million to the District’s annual budget. Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Dr. Robert Allen said that’s a “significant impact.”

When brought back to the board for consideration, possible wording for the override election will also be presented. The board expressed a desire to move forward with a November 2017 election, as well as a desire to see the percentage shifted from 13 percent to 15 percent.

As Dr. Allen explained, the override is based on student enrollment. With projected numbers for 2019, that shift upward in percentage would move the funding from $951,629 at 13 percent to $1,098,034 at 15 percent. In other words, despite the higher percentage, it is possible the actual funds provided would be a bit lower than what is currently made available due to enrollment trends. Dr. Allen warned that nobody should be married too strictly to any figures, however, as they are based on current estimates.

The Board will be presented with a proposal from the override committee at the June 14 meeting.