I have supported most school bond measures during my years as a voter. But, even though I would like to, I can’t bring myself to support this latest FHUSD bond.

Except for its two newest members, the governing board appears to have little interest in managing funds responsibly; a board member actually said at a recent meeting that tracking expenditures is “not my job.” All Fountain Hills residents should be dismayed by the serious irregularities revealed in the most recent Arizona Auditor General’s audit of FHUSD; we should insist on accountability and transparent reforms.

The curriculum is trending woke, with SEL, DEI, etc., creeping into everything from library books to math texts. The board recently voted to spend $200,000 (privately funded) to put a small planetarium in the school library. Think of how much good that money could do if spent elsewhere. And the list goes on.

We are spending many millions of dollars to educate a dwindling student population, currently around 1,200. The most recent Arizona Department of Education statewide tests show that 66 percent of our middle school students are not proficient in math. In both reading and math, FHUSD students score lower than their peers. Why is this happening? Here’s a clue: Less than half of the provided funding reaches the classroom.

Before asking for more money, the district should prove that it can increase academic performance and spend in the classroom, not on administration. And we voters need to demand that the recruitment and retention of excellent teachers be the top priority.

I can’t support putting more money into the hands of this district’s leadership until I see that these problems are being solved and until there are some changes on the governing board, with more emphasis on prudent spending and student achievement.