Nothing, perhaps, is more important to the growth and vibrancy of a municipality than the establishment of a superior educational system. We have one. The Fountain Hills Unified School District (#98) is ranked as one of the top districts not only in Maricopa County, but also in the entire state of Arizona.

The eternal problem, of course, is maintaining its excellence and that, naturally, requires a correspondingly eternal commitment to funding it. For the last few years, the citizens have funded this, in part, with a 13 percent override to the district’s Maintenance and Operations budget.

An 18-member non-partisan committee studied the adequacy of this amount with a unanimous recommendation that the Board increase the amount by two percentage points to 15 percent. The Board accepted and approved the recommendation and is now seeking approval of this increase from the citizens it serves.

The increase translates to three cents per $100 of net assessed valuation for secondary property taxes. For what seems a very reasonable amount, then, we can continue the programs and quality leadership that will allow the community to attract young couples that fuel economic growth of the town. Please support the increase.