Vote yes on the Fountain Hills Unified School District budget override election on Nov. 7.

Nothing supports a community and its families more than a strong educational system. A vibrant community is composed of a strong commitment to its teachers and its students. To support a budget override and to increase funding for existing programs is absolutely vital to Fountain Hills and to the town’s vision for the future.

The proposed override will provide the funds needed to continue the educational excellence of FHUSD. We must support increases in teacher salary to assure retention and to assure attraction of new teachers to the district. We must support all-day kindergarten to assure a solid foundation for students’ continuing education. We must support professional development to assure that all employees are current in their field. We must support the hire of additional staff for reading literacy to assure that all students have equal educational opportunities. And, lastly, it is imperative to reward staff for outstanding performance and competent abilities.

The property tax increase per household is minimal but the resulting community payback is priceless. Vote yes on Nov. 7!