Frequently Asked Questions

About Prop 412 - Bonds

What is a Bond? A bond is special funding that fills in the gaps where state funding is insufficient for capital needs. Bonds are loans made to the school district used to purchase capital items and make capital improvements to existing facilities, such as renovating a school, replacing roofs or aging HVAC units, or purchasing school buses.

Why is Amphitheater Public Schools calling upon local voters for a bond election? The State’s School Facilities Board has not provided funding for building maintenance and repair to keep facilities up-to-standard for over 8 years. Capital funding from the state has been drastically reduced annually. As a result, bond funding is the only mechanism to begin to restore, repair and refurbish existing facilities. To keep the school bond tax rate at or below what taxpayers will pay next year, we are only asking to fund our most dire needs.

What will the Bond do for Amphitheater students? The Governing Board of Amphitheater Public Schools has called this special bond election to provide funding for school facility maintenance and renovations, student transportation, and instructional technology.  

1) The District is recommending that bond funds be used for safety upgrades, maintenance, replacements, and refurbishing of schools and district facilities such as:

·        Roofing and exterior structural components of buildings

·        Replacement of failed or deteriorated school heating and cooling systems

·        Aged electrical infrastructure, lighting and emergency power systems

·        Upgrading of fire alarms and security systems

·        Replacement of worn tile and carpets, ceilings, restroom partitions, furniture

·        Plumbing fixtures and wet utility systems

·        Site structures such as security safety fencing, gates, walkways, patios and shade covers, outdoor athletic courts, bleachers, parking lots

·        Renovating or replacing special equipment used to support compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

·        Improving school grounds, such as playgrounds, athletic fields, irrigation systems and storm water drainage

2) The District is also recommending that bond funds be used to purchase air conditioned, fuel efficient school buses and vans to replace vehicles in its aging bus and vehicle fleet that are past their useful life.

3) The 2024 Bond program will also provide improvements to the learning environment by allowing the District to purchase instructional technology for use by students, teachers, and staff and upgrade network infrastructure to enhance the educational environment district-wide.

What amount is Amphitheater Public Schools asking for in the upcoming bond election?

The total bond is for $84 million.

How much will the bond cost the average taxpayer? There would be no tax increase as a result of the successful passage of the bond election.

How do I know the money will be spent as indicated? The District is committed to responsible stewardship of bond funds. Arizona law requires the district to clearly identify how the bonds will be spent in the voter information pamphlet. The law provides limited ways for funds to be spent outside the bond program.

Additionally, school districts must hold public hearings annually to inform the public on the progress of how the bond proceeds are spent. Communication on the bond fund usage will be shared with stakeholders on a consistent basis on the Amphitheater district website located at www.amphi.com and through other channels.

I noticed that the voter information pamphlet only contains statements in favor of the override election and no statements against it. Why is that?

The District and the Pima County School Superintendent published notice of this override election as well as an invitation for the public to submit statements in favor and against the override ballot question.  The Pima County School Superintendent only received statements in favor of passing the override and did not receive any against the override by the statutory deadline. 

When will the Bond be on the ballot? The Bond election will be on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 regular election ballot. Last day for voter registration is Monday, October 7, 2024. Early voting for this measure will start Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

About prop 413 - Maintenance and Operations Override

What is a budget override?

School district budgets are very limited under Arizona law.  No matter what an individual school district’s financial needs may be, state funding of our schools is limited to a specific amount per student – the same amount for every district all across the state.  There are a few exceptions to this general funding rule.  One of those exceptions is a state law that allows local voters to increase their school district’s maintenance and operations budget, or “overriding” state budget allocations, by up to 15% through a local tax.

How much of a budget override is Amphi seeking?

Although Arizona law currently allows school districts to override their state budget limits by 15%, Amphitheater is only seeking to expand its budget capacity by 13.5%.  This is a combination of the 10% budget override it has had in place for the past 20 years, and the 3.5% override to improve K-3 education passed in 2019.

Why is Amphitheater seeking approval to override its state budget allowance?

Many school districts across the state have a budget override in place, allowing them to offer more to their students than state funding allows.

When the District first approached taxpayers about the potential of a budget override in 2005, Arizona ranked 49th or 50th of all the United States in its financial support of K-12 public education.

Over the next 12 years (2005-2017), Arizona made continuous and significant cuts to public education funding. In fact, Amphitheater experienced over $100 million dollars in cuts to its educational funding from the State during that time. Even after the return of District Additional Assistance (previously known as capital funding) last year and the Governor’s “20 by 2020” plan to raise teacher salaries, the loss of funding due to years of cuts will never be fully recovered by the District.

The 10% Amphi override has provided the District with the ability to maintain lower class sizes, offer expanded and higher level courses to students, offer intervention programs for challenged learners, retain quality teachers and other staff, and guarantee Art, Music and P.E. classes for all elementary students taught by specially qualified staff.  The District desires to keep these override funded programs in place, particularly after the state budget cuts. Additionally, the District held a special-program 3.5% override to pay for programs that directly affect its youngest learners. The override funded free full-day kindergarten for all Amphitheater’s elementary and K-8 schools. The funds would also be used to lower class sizes in kindergarten through third grade. These programs are being combined into one 13.5% override.

If I support this override election for Amphi, how can I be sure that the funds will be used for the right things?

Almost 20 years ago, a committee of citizens and leaders from Southern Arizona met over the course of several months to study the Amphi school district budget and determine if an override was warranted and, if so, what override funds should be used for.  That “Blue Ribbon Committee” recommended several uses for override funds.  Fifteen years later, the District’s Governing Board continues to hold true to the original intentions of those citizens and still uses override funds for the same purposes that citizens’ group recommended. The Governing Board is committed to doing the same for the future.

Will an override cause the school district tax levy on my property to increase?

That’s the remarkable thing about the override that Amphi is seeking. The impact on tax rates is minimal. In fact, because the 13.5% override is a continuation of an override that is already in place, homeowners will not see an increase in their tax bills if the override continues.

Where does the funding for budget overrides come from?

Overrides of any type that are approved by the local voters are entirely funded by the levy of taxes on the secondary assessed value of property located within the district. 

If voters have already approved the current 13.5% maintenance and operations override for Amphi, why do we have to have an election again?  

Arizona law only allows school districts to receive voter approval for an M&O override for up to five years, before the override begins to phase out. Thus, in order to fully maintain the continuity of an override or its programs, an election must be held every five years. 

How long will the overrides last if they are approved in November?

If the M&O override is renewed by the voters this November, it will last seven years. The override will be for the full amount approved by voters for years one through five. Unless renewed by voters, the override will phase down by one-third in year six, and by another one-third in year seven.

How can I be sure Amphi will use an override for the purposes that are promised and not for administrative costs?

The Amphitheater Governing Board is committed to using override funds for the purposes recommended by the citizen’s committees and as approved by the voters. In addition, school district budgets are open public records and can be reviewed by the public at any time.  In the case of budget overrides, Arizona law also requires specific annual reporting on the use of those specific funds. This reporting must be done publicly.

Amphitheater Public Schools maintains low administrative costs as evidenced by the State Auditor General’s report, which is issued annually. In 2023, Amphi’s administrative costs were limited to 4.8% of its budget, which is well below the state average for similarly sized districts and below the national average. 

I noticed that the voter information pamphlet only contains statements in favor of the override election and no statements against it. Why is that?

The District and the Pima County School Superintendent published notice of this override election as well as an invitation for the public to submit statements in favor and against the override ballot question.  The Pima County School Superintendent only received statements in favor of passing the override and did not receive any against the override by the statutory deadline. 

Can I vote in the Amphi Override election? 

If you live within the boundaries of the Amphitheater School District and you are registered to vote on or before midnight on October 7, 2024, you are eligible to vote in the general election.  If you do not know whether you are registered or eligible to vote, please contact the Pima County Recorder’s Office at (520) 740-4330.

What is the date of the Amphitheater Override election?

Tuesday, November 5, 2024.