Manfredi: Override proved to be great investment, should continue

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By Vincent Manfredi, Maricopa City Councilmember

Vincent Manfredi [submitted]
In 2016, I asked Maricopa to take a leap of faith and institute a Maintenance & Operations Override for the Maricopa Unified School District. Seven (7) previous attempts to pass an override had failed, and the doom-and-gloom thinking was we would fail again in 2016.

I did not accept that and took leadership of the campaign to pass an override. I believed, if the override funds were properly invested, it could have a huge impact on our community. In 2015, we began our campaign, and it had a clear and concise message: more teachers and more technology. The effects both would have on Maricopa were explained and people responded positively.

Today, I write to say it has been a success and give you the numbers to prove it.

Graduation rate at Maricopa High School has risen from 69% in 2016 to 80% in 2020. Having more teachers allowed us to open an alternative high school, RAM Academy. RAM Academy allows students who have fallen behind and are at risk of dropping out to graduate, on time and with their class. I personally know such a student, and it was a great thing to see the smile on his face on graduation day. To date, more than 100 young men and women have graduated on time who would have otherwise been left behind and possibly left out.

More teachers also allowed for lower class sizes at all levels. Despite increased enrollment, kindergarten classes dropped from 29 students to 24. In fifth grade, class sizes dropped from 35 to 28. (Click for all related data.)

Adding teachers also relieved stress on existing teachers and led to higher retention of Maricopa’s most experienced educator. This year, 91% of teachers with at least four years’ experience returned to MUSD versus 82% in 2017.

The second part for the message was we needed to add more technology. Today, every enrolled student has access to a computer. Just last year, during the height of the pandemic when so much was unknown and people were stuck at home, every student had a computer to use to continue their learning from home. Plus, students without high-speed internet received access to a Wi-Fi hotspot to ensure they could keep up with their class. Click here for the technology plan for 2022 to 2026. Technology plays a large roll in our lives today, and if we fail to keep up, our children will fall behind, so keeping the override in place means new technology will make it into our students’ hands and help them long-term.

Proposition 457 is NOT a tax increase – it is a continuation of the local funding that has been in place since 2016 with proven results. The override has allowed the district to keep up with rapid growth while increasing teacher retention, improving graduation rates, and supporting smaller class sizes.

Please join me and vote YES to support quality education in our community, because the better the education system, the better the community.

Please email or call me with any questions. [email protected] or 602-373-9996.

 

Editor’s note: Manfredi is co-owner of InMaricopa.