SURPRISE, AZ — Thousands of new homes are coming to northwest Surprise, but some families say schools haven’t kept pace with the growth.
Now, voters are being asked to weigh in on Proposition 421, a $71 million Dysart Unified School District bond that would, in part, fund construction of a new elementary school in northwest Surprise and purchase land for a future high school.
For families living in the area, the shortage of nearby schools is already noticeable.
“Well, in this one? There’s only one elementary school here, and I don’t even know if there’s a high school,” said Crystal Flowers, a grandmother in the area.
There currently is no high school in the Asante area. Dysart Unified says approximately 600 high school students from the area attend Willow Canyon High School, more than seven miles away.
The district says another 500 fifth- through eighth-grade students are bused to a middle school outside their neighborhoods.
The situation has put additional attention on Proposition 421.
“It was an urgent need about five years ago, so yeah, we’re behind the eight ball already,” said Michael Planeta, a former Dysart Unified governing board member who is leading Citizens for a Better Surprise, which supports the measure.
Of the proposed $71 million bond, a portion would be used to build a new elementary school in northwest Surprise. Another $10 million would go toward purchasing land for a future high school, while remaining funding would be used for improvements and renovations at district facilities.
Planeta said the needs extend beyond constructing new schools.
“It’s just going to be ... put the district in a bind because there’s a lot of critical needs, and it’s been 21 years since we passed the last bond out here, so it’s way overdue,” he said.
The district expects the pressure to continue regardless of the election's outcome. Current projections show Asante Preparatory Academy exceeding capacity during the 2027-28 school year.
Rapid residential development also creates a challenge for the district because Arizona law does not allow school districts to require housing developers and builders to donate land or pay for construction of new schools.
“I think they’re going to outnumber the schools,” Flowers said of the area's new homes. “They already have. There’s a lot of kids that need to be schooled.”
Planeta said approving Proposition 421 would not result in a higher tax bill for residents because payments associated with the district’s previous bond are declining.
“In fact, your taxes are actually going from $6 a month to $3 a month because the last bond is starting to sunset,” Planeta said.
For families in northwest Surprise, the issue ultimately comes down to whether school construction can catch up with residential development.
With hundreds of students already traveling outside their neighborhoods for school and thousands of additional homes planned across the area, Proposition 421 will give voters a say in how Dysart Unified prepares for the next wave of growth.
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