New High School, Elementary School, Safety & Security Updates, Free Full-Day Kindergarten & Special Programs at Stake

Election Day » Tuesday, Nov. 5 

Voters in the Deer Valley Unified School District will have a say on two critical no-tax increase ballot questions in the Nov. 5 election. 

If approved, roughly one-third of the funding generated from the district’s special $325-million bond election would provide funding for a new high school and an additional elementary school in the vicinity of the TSMC chip plant, west of I-17, where another master-planned community comparable to the size of Anthem is planned. Two-thirds of the funding generated from a successful bond passage would also fund capital improvements to existing schools in the district. Visit www.dvusd.org/bond for a detailed list of improvements by school.

The November election marks DVUSD’s second attempt in asking for local support of the bond, along with the renewal of a Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax override of a homeowner tax already in place to help the district fund fixed costs and basic needs not fully funded by the state. 

DVUSD’s Governing Board agreed to place the questions in the hands of the voters last spring at the request of the district’s Bond/Override Citizen Advisory Committee, following the unsuccessful passage of the ballot measures last November. 

Neither ballot request would result in tax increases, as both requests are a continuation of the district’s current tax rates, said DVUSD School Superintendent Dr. Curtis Finch, during the first in a series of community informational meetings. Structuring the repayment of its debt enables the district to keep the levy level and take the burden off the taxpayers.

“This has been accomplished by aggressively paying off debt from previous bond sales to allow for the opportunity to seek these new bond funds to meet the growing needs of our District without creating a financial burden to our taxpayers,” DVUSD Deputy Superintendent of Fiscal Services, Jim Migliorino, told Valley Vibe.

Special Bond Approval Would Fund New Schools, Renovations

Barry Goldwater High School is projected to become the largest of DVUSD’s high schools by 2027. 

The largest wave of residential growth sweeping the North Valley continues in the far North Phoenix area near TSMC, on the east side of I-17, but now the growth is shifting to the west side of I-17 as home developers are snatching up State Trust Land. Lennar Homes already has a presence on the west side of the freeway, and Pulte Homes has an application with the State on 6,000 acres for a future master-planned community in the Biscuit Flats area, south of Loop 303.

That said, DVUSD has identified the need to build another elementary school and a high school in the vicinity.

“It’s a little hard for people to see into the future… TSMC is four times bigger than Intel in the Chandler area and that exact same scenario [of growth] is going to happen here in half of the time,” Finch said. “It’s hard to grasp that it’s all progressing as planned. Another Anthem-like community is coming out of the ground, right around the plant,” he added. 

Finch pointed out that DVUSD being one of the largest land districts in the state expands all the way to Lake Pleasant. 

DVUSD has been actively monitoring the projected student yield from the many multifamily and single-family residential projects in the pipeline, particularly in the North Gateway area and the South Biscuit Flats area west of I-17. An estimated 19,000-plus units are projected surrounding the TSMC plant. [See “New Housing Developments in the Pipeline,ˮ below.]

DVUSD’s most recent demographer’s report shows projected student enrollment growth east of I-17 is anticipated through fiscal years 2026-2027. Then, growth will shift to the west side of I-17 through fiscal years 2031-2032. 

Schools that continue to exceed capacity due to the growth include Sonoran Foothills, Stetson Hills, Union Park, and at the high school level – Barry Goldwater, and Mountain Ridge.

DVUSD added four permanent classrooms at both Sonoran Foothills and Union Park. Even with those additions, both schools are expected to exceed capacity in the immediate future, along with Stetson Hills.

At the high school level, Barry Goldwater is projected to become the largest of DVUSD’s high schools by 2027.

A Special Bond Election in the amount of $325 million would fund the next elementary and high school, along with safety, security, instructional resources, technology, building renewal, conservation, buses and student growth throughout the district through the year 2029. This bond is also a continuation of the tax already being assessed from the 2019 Special Bond Authorization. The estimated average cost to homeowners is a continuation of roughly $15.12 per month in property tax on the average assessed value of homes within the district.

DVUSD Bond & Override Fast Facts

Ballot Mail Date Oct. 9
Last Day to Mail Back Your Ballot
Oct. 29

DVUSD’s $325-Million Bond

If approved, the bond would fund the following:

» Student Growth (Five-year Plan) 

• New K-8 elementary school(Location TBD West of I-17 south of Loop-303)
• New high school (Location TBD West of I-17 south of Loop-303) (Phase 1: classroom buildings, gymnasium and administrative buildings)
• (Future phases would include an auxiliary gym and performing arts building, not funded by this bond.)

Note DVUSD has held a reservation with the State Land Department for a future high school near I-17 and Jomax Road, but with the close proximity of that site to Sandra Day O’Connor High and the shift in the city’s growth plans, the district has stated they would forgo the I-17 and Jomax location in exchange for a usable 60-plus acre parcel south of the 303 Freeway and west of I-17.

» Instructional-Related Needs

• Building Renovations (e.g. HVAC replacement/repairs, roofing, carpet/flooring) 
• Technology Updates and Device/Chromebook Replacements 
• Furniture, Fixture and Equipment Replacement
• Bus replacements and additions 
• Building Improvements (Safety/Security upgrades including additional cameras, locks safety/security, extracurricular improvements)

The Maintenance & Operations Tax Extension 

The other ballot question would renew a Maintenance and Operations (M&O) override, which is a homeowner tax already in place to help the district fund basic needs not fully funded by the state. This override has been in place for over 30 years at DVUSD and comparable school districts in the state. M&O overrides expire every five years and requires the support of the local taxpayers. The last taxpayer 15 percent budget override was approved in 2019 and is set to expire/begin to be phased out after December 2024.  

A “yes” vote would approve the continuation of the district’s existing Maintenance and Operations 15 percent budget override. The cost to the average homeowner is a continuation of roughly $21.27 per month in property tax on the average assessed value of homes within the district.  

If approved, funds will be used for the following:

• Attract and retain highly qualified teachers and stay competitive with neighboring districts (current override provides 8.5 percent of employee salaries)
• Preserve fine arts, elective courses, gifted programs and athletic programs (art, music, band, and physical education)
• Maintain low class sizes 
• Provide counselors and specialists/support staff  
• Provide free full-day kindergarten (free since 2016)

A ‘No’ Vote Means Budget Cuts

Without the local support for a successful passage of an override and the bond initiative, Finch told Valley Vibe students and staff would be directly impacted. 

Without an extension to the override, DVUSD will be forced to cut an estimated $11 million per year from its budget over the next three years, (totaling $33 million) in student programming. For more details on the override, visit www.dvusd.org/override.com.

“Arizona is 49th in the nation for per pupil funding, so we have to watch every penny and be very miserly with our dollars to make them stretch, so both bond and override are what we call local support,” Finch said. “If we want our schools to be top shelf and be the envy of the state we need to continue to support them.”

New Housing Developments in the Pipeline

Middle Vistas (I-17 & Dixileta)

DVUSD is closely monitoring the following new single-family home developments within the booming North Phoenix corridor. 

• Aloravita
  (75th & Jomax)
  1,472 units
  
• Copperleaf
  (Dove Valley & 20th Ave)
  411 units
  
• Middle Vistas
  (I-17 & Dixileta)
  228 units
  
• Union Park
  (21st Ave & Jomax)
  977 units
  
• Verdin (24th Street & Sonoran Desert Pkwy)
  1,250 units
  
• Paseo Heights
  (9th Ave & Pinnacle Peak)
  294 units
  
• Biscuit Flats/NorthPark
  (51st Ave, south of 303 Fwy)
  19,235 units
  

By Karen Goveia
[email protected]

PHOTOS COURTESY DVUSD