Bartle: Vote ‘yes’ for lower taxes, higher property values

The request is different (much more modest), but the question is the same: Do we want our community to improve and grow?

There are many arguments for the Maricopa Unified School District budget override request, and I’ve heard one prevailing theme from those against it.

Some people will vote “yes” for the override to hire more teachers and lower class sizes. Others want more technology in the instruction. Many see teaching as the most undervalued profession in America and will vote altruistically to put a few extra bucks in teachers’ relatively paltry paychecks; others will want to do the same, but to help mitigate the defections of our great teachers to neighboring districts offering more money. Some Maricopans know there is no greater investment one can make than in our youth. Others are eager to see new businesses and industry come to town – and with them people and jobs – and know quality schools is a prerequisite.

The most common reason for voting against the override is higher taxes. It is also a reason to vote for it.

Not because any of us want to pay more taxes, but because the investment will improve our schools, which will make Maricopa much more attractive to businesses, which will yield economic development, which will add significantly to the taxpayer base. Sharing the community’s tax burden among more than just homeowners will lower our taxes.

As an added bonus, the additional $50 or so a year we will invest in our schools will come back many times over in appreciation of our homes. Good schools will increase demand for living in Maricopa, leading to higher property values.

The opposite is also true.