What's this about?
- GUHSD Governing Board is asking our community to renew the 10% Maintenance & Operations Budget Override.
- This is not a new tax.
- It continues existing funding that supports important programs and services for students in Glendale Union High School District.
Checklist if
GUHSD Override
is successful!
- Preserve honors and elective courses
- Maintain extracurricular and cocurricular opportunities
- Keep student support services
What happens if GUHSD Override fails?
- GUHSD would be forced reduce its budget by more than $12 million.
- fewer teachers and staff
- larger class sizes
- fewer student opportunities
- impacts to campus safety
A “YES” vote shall authorize the Glendale Union High School District No. 205 Governing Board to continue the existing maintenance and operation budget override authority and resulting tax, which includes an amount that exceeds the District’s revenue control limit.
About Our Glendale Union High School District
- GUHSD is an award-winning public school district spanning 60 square miles across the Metropolitan Phoenix region, primarily serving sections of Glendale and Phoenix.
- The district opened its first high school in 1911.
- Today, GUHSD serves over 15,000 students across its nine high schools and an online learning academy.
- The district has maintained a reputation for strong academic performance:
- The Arizona Department of Education has designated GUHSD an "A" rated district.
- The district was named the National Advanced Placement (AP) District of the Year by the College Board.
What is a Budget Override?
School districts in Arizona are allowed by state law to increase their Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budgets each year by up to 15% of the revenue control limit imposed by the state legislature. This requires voter approval.
What is GUHSD asking voters to approve?
The district is asking voters to renew the existing 10% override. So, this is not a new tax. It is a budget override continuation.
How long do override funds last?
An override lasts for seven years. If not renewed, the amount decreases by one-third each year in the fifth, sixth and seventh years of the existing override. Even though continuation overrides are not new taxes, according to state law, they must be renewed through an election to continue for another seven years.
What will the M&O Override do for our GUHSD students?
The 10% Maintenance and Operation budget would continue funding for programs currently serving district students including:
- Reduce Class Size
- Maintain Course Offerings
- Maintain Athletic Programs
- Maintain Co-curricular Programs
- Maintain Student Support Services
What will happen if the budget override is not renewed?
If the override is not approved, the existing 10% override will phase out by reducing by one-third in 2028/2029 and another one-third in fiscal year 2029/2030.
GUHSD would need to reduce its budget by $12 million. This reduction would likely mean fewer teachers and staff, larger class sizes, fewer student opportunities, and impacts to campus safety.
How much will the override cost the average taxpayer
The estimated secondary tax rate needed to fund the full override is $0.53 per one hundred dollars of net assessed valuation for secondary tax purposes which is approximately equal to the current tax rate.
The estimated continuation cost for an owner of a home with a limited property value of $156,780 (the average value of a home in the district) would be approximately $83 per year.
The Glendale Union High School District is asking voters to renew its existing Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Override. This is not a new tax.
Greg Stanton
U.S. Congressman, Phoenix