School upgrades at mercy of bond election; approval won’t raise taxes

“What is the condition of my child’s learning environment?” is what some residents will be asking themselves as they cast their “yes” or “no” vote November 7 for a bond designed to build and improve local schools.

The outcome of this election will determine if Maricopa students will have to attend run-down or crowded facilities.

“If this bond doesn’t pass, we won’t be able to upgrade facilities, we won’t be able to get our schools above the state minimum standard,” said James Chaston, president of the Maricopa Unified School District Governing Board.

The shortages Chaston refers to are no fields, concrete floors, limited cabinet space, no science labs, no extracurricular equipment and inferior, if any, technology equipment like computers. In addition, there will not be enough classrooms and buildings to support the continuously expanding student population.

The new elementary school at Tortosa may suffer from a shortage of facilities and a lack of amenities if the district’s bond election doesn’t pass.

“The state is two years behind our school needs,” he said.” We’re trying to get ahead of the curve.”

What has put schools behind is the ever-expanding growth of Maricopa. The city has gone from roughly 4,000 residents from the time of its 2003 incorporation to nearly 25,000 people today.

It takes 18 to 24 months to assess home values for taxation, according to Chaston, so by the time the money is there, the population has already multiplied beyond its schools’ capacities.

The bond will allow the district to borrow the necessary funds to compensate for the state’s lag in making the necessary capital improvements. If approved, it won’t increase taxes but will stabilize the 2005-06 tax at the current rate. This will allow newcomers to the community to pay for facilities that will be put in place for them. “This lets growth pay for growth,” Chaston said.

Chaston explained that an override was passed 18 months ago, authorizing the district to spend up to 10 percent more than the authorized budget for teacher salaries and supplies. But he cautions that a proper facility is as important as the teachers. “We need both to provide quality education,” he said.