Maricopa County voters on school overrides, bonds and budget increases so far

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Over two dozen school districts in Maricopa County asked for voter approval for school budget override continuations, bond approvals, and budget increases. The outcomes of each election haven’t been declared yet, and the county recorder’s office released the latest ballot numbers Wednesday night.

What is a budget override continuation?

When school districts find that they don’t have enough money in their budget, they may ask the voters in their district to increase their budget by up to 15%. However, districts that already have budget overrides in place must go back to voters every few years to renew that override. The continuation of the overrides would not increase property taxes further. These measures are typically used for the proper maintenance and operations of schools, which may include teacher pay, school supplies, athletic equipment, and more.

What is a bond?

Like regular bonds, school bonds are sold to people looking to make an interest on an investment. To repay the bonds, districts ask voters to approve the requested amount of the bond and to increase property taxes to pay back investors.

Here are some of the largest districts and their ballot counts as of Wednesday at 6:47 p.m.:

Scottsdale Unified School District — The school budget increase is currently passing at 53%.

Tempe Union High School District — The bond approval is passing at 58%. The budget override continuation is passing at 60%. The budget increase is currently passing at 59%.

Paradise Valley Unified School District — The budget override is currently passing at 57%.

Glendale Union High School District — The budget override is currently passing at 61%.

Washington Elementary School District — The bond approval is currently passing at 56%. The budget override continuation is currently passing at 60%.

More information about these and other bond and override elections can be found on the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s website.

Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.