Scottsdale Unified override appears headed for victory

Tom Scanlon, East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)
·4 min read

Nov. 7—An override continuance request by the Scottsdale Unified School District looks like it will pass by a comfortable margin.

Unofficial returns today showed 58% for the override and 42% rejecting it.

If the percentage holds, the margin for SUSD's continuation will be even greater than the 54% approval the district received for its last override request in 2019.

Early unofficial returns showed 25,726 voted in favor of the override continuation and 18,769 voting against.

Only one issue was on the ballot mailed to Scottsdale voters: The public school district's request for a Maintenance and Operations — better known as "M&O" — override continuation.

In 2019, the SUSD M&O request was approved, with 30,123 voting for it — just under 54% — and 18,704 voting against.

Out of 170,991 registered voters in the district, 51,993 voted — slightly less than one third.

A pamphlet mailed to voters within SUSD's boundaries by the Maricopa County School Superintendent's office contained multiple letters of support — and no opposition.

But that does not reflect the reality of what can be called "organized opposition" to this request.

As was the case in other Valley school districts, including neighboring Paradise Valley, many signs urging "Vote Yes!" were matched by "Vote No!" signs next to them.

This was the case on Election Day, where a stream of cars turning into the Mohave District Annex parking lot on 8500 E. Jackrabbit Road saw the official "Vote Yes SUSD" sign — next to a handwritten "Vote No Today" sign.

Inside the district office, most who came to the only Scottsdale site dropped off ballots. Others who did not have ballots were able to vote in person with a "replacement ballot."

In addition to the "Vote No" signs at intersections, social media was a place to express opposition to the SUSD override.

Susan Wood's "Protect Scottsdale," which has 3,800 YouTube subscribers, posted a video titled "Scottsdale Kids Say: Vote No on the SUSD Override Nov. 7th."

A child's voice narrates the video:

"The Scottsdale Unified School District is asking taxpayers to approve a budget override, so they can keep wasting our money on those programs that do not work and parents do not support."

And, the kid adds, "When I get my allowance every week, I spend the money that I have earned. I don't ask my parents for a 15% increase just because I wanted to."

The name of the kid talking?

"The narrator is an AI voice program," Wood told the Progress.

A real child is also seen on camera — and heard sharing his experiences since leaving SUSD for a charter school.

He says he is glad he transferred "because kids at my new school were more quiet ... Sometimes at my public SUSD school, the kids would curse and not get in trouble. At this new school if they curse they get in trouble."

Wood said she did not have permission to give the child's name to the Progress.

Against the plea of board member Amy Carney, who unsuccessfully argued the district's "Going early is four times more expensive than if we did (the election) in 2024," the SUSD Governing Board approved reaching out to voters a year before necessary.

Carney was the lone vote against putting the request on this year's ballot.

In a series of September town halls, SUSD explained the 15% override request would approve $22 million in additional funding to the district, with a tax rate of $0.33 per $100 of net assessed valuation.

The renewed override would cost the owner of an average home in the district $174 per year, according to the district, which provided estimates based on the Arizona Department of Revenue's average Scottsdale home value of $523,750.

M&O Override funds are used to supplement the state funding formula for schools.

According to the district, extra money brought in by the M&O override supports:

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current class-size ratios;

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free, full-day kindergarten;

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competitive teacher salaries;

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elementary school classes in art, band, music and physical education;

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world language instruction;

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middle school and high school fine arts, athletics and extracurricular activities;

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staff salaries and professional development.

M&O overrides are in effect for seven years. If they are not reauthorized by voters by year five, overrides begin to phase down until they expire after the seventh year.

If SUSD's request fails, the "phase-down" amounts to a funding loss of approximately $7.3 million per year.

The district says it is "common practice among Arizona school districts" to request an override renewal a year early.

Support

Councilwoman Tammy Caputi, noting "good schools create higher property values," was an author of one of the letters of support in the voters pamphlet.

"It's to all our benefit to support the schools in our community and approval is not expected to raise the secondary tax rate," Caputi wrote.

Councilwoman Solange Whitehead echoed Caputi: "I am a proud mom of three SUSD grads. I support the override because I want our community and children to continue to thrive and prosper," Whitehead wrote.