Why are bonds and overrides an important funding source for school districts?

In Arizona, local revenue makes up a significantly larger percent than state revenue of school districts overall funding and revenue sources.

That is in stark contrast to the the rest of the nation where state funding is more than local funding, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau Public Education Finances 2017 released in May 2019.

Arizona school districts are asking voters in their communities to approve bond and override ballot measures in the Nov. 5 election to generate funding through local property taxes that schools can use for a set time and purpose.

This year, 49 of Arizona’s 223 public school districts statewide, or 21.97 percent, are seeking bonds and overrides, with more than half of those in Maricopa County.

During the Great Recession, state legislators cut capital funding that schools use to maintain buildings, buses, textbooks and technology to balance the state budget, but that money or revenue sources were not restored when the economy recovered.

For example Flagstaff Unified received nearly $7 million in capital funding from the state in 2007, but only $600,000 in 2018.

Loading…

Infographic by Lisa Irish/AZEdNews
Click here for a larger version