Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 186

10 SOUTHWEST VALLEY SCHOOLS 5 THE SOUTHWEST VALLEY REPUBLIC WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2,2005 Bond, override votes approach Tuesday is decision day in school districts around SW Valley By Kelly Carr SOUTHWEST VALLEY REPUBLIC The Agua Fria Union High School District wants money to fund its new high school and move its district offices. The Avondale Elementary School District says it needs a new school to handle growth and to renovate its existing buildings. Agua Fria and Avondale are two of five Southwest Valley school districts that will ask voters to approve bonds or capital overrides Tuesday. Here's a breakdown of how much district officials are asking for and what they will do with the money. Agua Fria Union High School District The district will ask voters to approve a $35.6 million bond that would allow the district to accommodate growth.

The district, which has three high schools and is building a fourth in Verrado, is growing by about 800 students each year. "We want to make sure we can provide students with the quality environment that they deserve," Assistant Superintendent Dudley Butts said. "It takes a variety of different funding sources to meet the standards that the community expectsi in our buildings and education. We need both state and local funds to get things where we need them to be." Plans for the bond money include: I Construction costs for the district's fourth school, Verrado High School. Funding of athletic fields and auxiliary gyms at the Verrado campus.

I Relocation of the district offices to a centralized location. I Renovation of school buildings. Avondale Elementary School District To accommodate a growing population, Avondale officials will ask voters to approve a $31 million bond and a $650,000 capital override. Capital override money will be used to supply a new school scheduled for 2008 with materials, such as furnishings, technology and other items that can't be covered with bond or state money. The bond money will be used for items that include: The building of a new K-8 school.

Renovations for existing schools in the district. I Building of gymnasiums. Bonds and capital override What is a bond? A bond is a loan to school districts. It represents a promise to pay a principal by a certain maturity date, plus interest. The Arizona Constitution limits the amount of debt a school district can have to 30 percent for unified districts and 15 percent for elementary or high school districts.

What is a capital override? Voters pass a tax increase to generate more annual income to buy capital items, such as computers and furniture. As part of Students FIRST, schools can no longer use bond money for furniture and equipment. School construction history This drawing shows the future Verrado High School in Agua Fria Union High School District. It's the district's fourth high school and will open in 2006. Where to vote To find a polling location for your school district, visit the Maricopa County Recorder's Web site at www.recorder.maricopa.gov or call (602) 506-3535 for more information.

You can vote at these spots on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. District support facilities. I Purchasing additional buses. Buckeye Elementary School District To upgrade its campuses and move district employees, the Buckeye Elementary School District is asking voters to approve a $4.5 million bond.

"We want to take some of the administration out of the building they are in, so we can have more room for students," business manager Rebecca Williams said. Here are some of the ways the money will be used: I Improving school grounds, including upgrading athletic fields and adding new playground equipment. I Purchasing buses. I Construction of new administrative offices, which will include transportation, maintenance and technology facilities. Tolleson Union High School District To provide materials to its growing student body, the Tolleson Union High School District is asking for a $4.2 million override.

Governing Board President Kim Owens said the money would be used to pay for items not covered by state or bond money, such as computers and furnishings. "The capital override will allow us to have a funding source to furnish classrooms and provide equipment that is the meat for the classrooms," Owens Before 1998, schools were built primarily through bond money. Payments on the debt were generated from secondary property taxes. I In 1994, the Supreme Court ruled in Roosevelt vs. Bishop that a reliance on unequal property taxes to fund school construction and renovations was unconstitutional.

I Students FIRST was the legislature's response, which went into effect in 1998 and replaced bonding as the first source for school construction. A state funding system, the Arizona School Facilities Board, was put into place to handle three primary areas: new school facilities, building renewal and deficiency correction. I Although money for capital funding comes from the state, schools can still seek Class bonds and capital overrides. Voters must approve both. said.

If the override passes, the money will be used for: Computer network upgrades and a replacement cycle for student computers. Also, additional classroom computers. I Furniture, fixtures and equipment for new construction and renovations on school campuses. I Implementation of a textbook adoption cycle and purchase of these textbooks and related classroom instructional materials. Union Elementary School District Justin Greene, administrator for the Union Elementary School District, said he needs $3.3 million to fund student transportation.

The money would pay for 10 new buses and the building of a bus maintenance facility. Currently, the district has three buses for its 1,157 students, and they are parked in the staff parking lots. The district is experiencing a 260 percent growth rate. Last January, the district had 443 students, a number that has almost tripled. "We transport just over 900 kids a day, and right now we are working by magic," Green said.

Staff from the district traveled door to door Halloween night to pass out information to voters. Reach the reporter at kelly.carr@ arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-4137. The road to a bond election A bond election can start brewing years before the issue is passed to voters. But once a district has decided it wants a bond, there is a specific timeline: The district names its bond attorney, investment banker and capital- -planning professionals. It also assembles a planning committee.

I The committee identifies the capital needs and costs for the district and establishes a priority for capital projects. The committee reports its findings and provides recommendations to the school governing board. The governing board passes a resolution authorizing the bond question to be placed on the ballot. This step must be completed by the June before the November election. With the help of the school district, a voter-information pamphlet is prepared by the Maricopa County superintendent.

Voters decide if the issues pass. Source: Agua Fria Union High School, Arizona School Facilities Board..