On May 23, the Liberty Elementary School District Governing Board voted 4 to 0 to call for a Maintenance and Operations Override election this November. The override would be funded by an estimated $0.75 property tax rate per one hundred dollars of net assessed value. School districts may ask for an increase of up to 15 percent of their revenue control limit for a term of seven years. Liberty had a ten percent levy in place since 1983, but voters chose not to continue the override funding last year.
When not renewed, the amount is required to decrease by one-third in the sixth year, two-thirds in the seventh year, and is fully eliminated after the seventh year. As a result, the district was required to reduce the levy by one-third and cut its budget by $850,000. Students will be impacted next year by reduced art, music and physical education class time, higher class sizes, and in some classes less qualified instructors because the district is not able to compete to recruit teachers in hard-to-fill positions in a teacher shortage. Also, fewer athletic opportunities will be available and extracurricular fees will increase.
“Without renewal the district will be required to cut its budget by an additional $1.6 million over the next two years,” said Kelley Baysinger, Executive Director of Business Services, “We are asking the voters to consider restoring this funding to help keep up with growth and maintain smaller class sizes. 100% of all override funds go to teacher compensation and for student programs. Zero dollars of this funding is spent on administrative costs.”
Currently, Liberty Elementary School District serves over 4,300 students in the Southwest Valley. Goodyear and Buckeye are in the top ten fastest growing cities in the country according to the U.S. Census. Last year, the district experienced twelve percent enrollment growth and is projecting student enrollment increases of five percent next year and four percent the year after.
Superintendent Lori Shough explained, “This continuation allows the district to attract and retain quality teachers and staff by offering competitive salaries to keep the best and brightest teaching in Liberty schools. It also funds essential programs such as physical education, athletics, art, and music. Without a continuation of this critical funding, these programs will risk facing cuts.”
Maintenance and Operations Overrides are used to provide additional funding to support people and programs. An “override” does not mean that a district has overspent or is over budget. Rather, it is seeking voter permission to exceed the “revenue control limit” which is a spending limit set forth in the Arizona Constitution which was added in 1980.
In fact, Liberty has been recognized for its award-winning fiscal responsibility. The Arizona Auditor General reports that the LESD’s classroom spending is well above their peer average and has “very low” costs for administration. The district also has “low” costs for plant operations. For an incredible 27th year in a row, LESD is proud to earn the Association of Business Officials International (ASBO) Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting Award.
The override will appear on the November 8, 2022, General Election ballot. The deadline to register to vote is October 11, 2022, and early voting will begin October 12, 2022. Further election information as well as a detailed and transparent budget will continue to be posted on the district’s website at https://www.liberty25.org/.