Following a recent election, school districts in Maricopa County, Arizona, are bracing for budget reductions after voters rejected measures that would have brought in additional funding. Nine school districts, including Deer Valley Unified and Peoria Unified, have bonds and overrides that, as of the latest counts, are not passing. These financial instruments are traditionally employed to fund operational costs like teacher salaries and infrastructure developments, and their rejection is projected to significantly impact these districts’ futures.
Deer Valley Unified School District, which serves an area experiencing rapid growth, is particularly impacted. According to
ABC15
, Superintendent Dr. Curtis Finch stated they will need to cut $11 million each year for the next three school years—a total deficit of $33 million. “It’s impossible to not cut $33 million and get an impact on people. If you do it over time and through attrition then you don’t impact people directly,” Finch said.
The situation is echoed in the Higley Unified School District, which, without the override, must now curtail spending by $13 million in the next school year. The district had intended to use bond funds to address safety, security, and critical facility renovations. In a statement obtained by
ABC15
, Dysart Unified similarly will have to delay the construction of new schools and replacement of aging buses due to their bond measure currently not tracking to pass.
More than the logistical challenges of operating with fewer resources, the failed measures spark concerns over broader social implications. In a region where school funding already lags, the consequences of such budget cuts could extend to exacerbating educational inequities. As per
AZFamily’s coverage
, Finch worries about the creation of unequal opportunities for students, particularly when it comes to participation in extracurricular activities that may now require a fee. “That’s real money and that’s a real problem,” Finch said, indicating programs like art, music, and athletics might be on the chopping block.
Brian Gauthier, a parent interviewed by
AZFamily
, underscored a growing skepticism about school board fiscal management as a possible factor in the election results. “If you ask parents like myself, most parents want to support our kids, absolutely, we want our money to go to that,” Gauthier said. “But there’s skepticism if whether politicians are doing the right thing with it.”
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