By Diana Martinez
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Tempe Union High School District will ask voters to approve a 15 percent override along with a $75 million bond next month.
Now with the ability to ask for overrides more than 10 percent, which is the district’s current amount, it will request an override approval up to 15 percent. That extra 5 percent would give the district an additional $3.3 million, which would be directed to reducing class size, reduce or eliminate course and activity fees, as well as expand learning programs.
The Maintenance and Operations Override and an authorization of a general obligation bond for health and safety issues made it to this year’s election ballot in June.
The override functions essentially as a tax increase for each homeowner. The tax will raise the secondary assessed value, for homeowners, by about $24, said Diane Meulemans, chief financial officer for the Tempe Union High School District.
If the override fails, the current 10 percent that was voted on back in 2008 would begin to phase out. During that phase out, the district’s budget would be cut by a third in 2013 and another third in 2014.
