SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale voters will decide in November whether to approve a $375 million bond measure to fund improvements at schools.
The Scottsdale Unified School District is not building new schools due to declining enrollment, but leaders say existing buildings still need work.
"We want to make sure every school is touched. Even the brand-new schools," said Dennis Roehler, the district's director of facilities and operations.
The money would fund upgrades at more than two dozen schools, including security and safety, improvements, new technology, and heating and air conditioning systems.
Bonds are voter-approved funds that can be used specifically for capital improvements to school facilities. Scottsdale's last bond was a decade ago, and it's been since 2008 that high school improvements were funded by a bond.
Melinda Gulick, a Scottsdale parent and chairwoman of Yes to Children — a group rallying parents to support the bond — said the investment goes beyond the classroom. The group has placed signs around the school district, encouraging residents to vote for the bond.
"It's so important. These are community facilities, taxpayer-owned assets. They really contribute to our quality of life and the stability of our neighborhoods," she said.
A recent district survey found six in 10 people supported a bond. But support is weaker among Scottsdale residents without children.
The district does not track the number of non-resident households, but the most recent census data shows about 14% of the city's population is under 18.
Gulick said residents without children in the district still have a stake in the outcome.
"So for someone who doesn't have students in the district they should know that quality, highly-rated school districts are one of the key contributors to our property values," Gulick said.
If passed, the bond would cost property owners about $13 a month in additional taxes on a $600,000 home or about $157 a year.
