Shorter-term override on general election ballot

Once again, an override for the Maricopa Unified School District is on the ballot.

This time the debate’s a little different.

First, some of this override’s supporters have voted against overrides in the past. 

Second, the override MUSD is attempting to pass Nov. 6 is different from what the district unsuccessfully proposed four times since 2009. 

If approved, the measure would be a two-year, 5-percent property-tax override to generate $1.35 million for the school district. 

In terms of property taxes, that translates to a $57.70 a year on a home assessed at $100,000.

Unlike previous overrides, the funds will only be allocated to specific district needs.

To reduce class size, $650,000 would go to hire more teachers. The blended-learning program would get $250,000 to expand, and $150,000 woud go additional instructional technology for classroom use.

Another $150,000 would go to improving teacher retention through partial reinstatement of the teacher salary schedule, and $150,000 would be use to improve retention of classified staff, which is comprised of teacher aides, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, etc., through a 2-percent cost-of-living adjustment, the first since 2008.

The shorter-term, lower-percentage and targeted allocation of funds helped change the mind of Clint Augustyn.

Augustyn has voted against overrides in the past but is now chairman of Maricopa Cares, an advocacy group raising money for advertising, signs and other efforts to support the current initiative. 

Augustyn said he voted against previous override efforts because, “Each time, the proposal seemed to be to continue what the school district was already doing, and yet too often our district is looked at as being mediocre.”

“The issue I’ve always had is with the education establishment,” Augustyn said. “There seems to be this attitude that money solves everything.”

Also, the numbers didn’t seem to quite add up. 

The last override he voted against was a five-year, 15-percent override, which Augustyn said “would have replaced all lost funding and added an additional amount.” 

“Yet the promotional efforts seemed to say that teachers would lose jobs if we did not approve,” Augustyn said.