Committee urges continuation of 15% M&O override; recommends $271.5M and $199.4M bond options for Chandler Unified

A citizens' bond-and-override committee recommended that the Governing Board of Chandler Unified School District continue the district's existing 15% maintenance-and-operations (M&O) override and forwarded two bond authorization options — $271,500,000 and $199,400,000 — for the board's consideration, district staff told the board during a May study session.

The recommendation, presented by committee leadership and district staff, came after four committee meetings and follow-up work with advisory groups. The committee "unanimously recommended the continuation of the 15% maintenance operation override," and the bond committee recorded 20 votes in favor of the $271.5 million option and 12 votes in favor of the $199.4 million option, according to district staff and the committee report shared at the meeting.

Why it matters: The M&O override funds salaries and classroom programs; district staff said the override helps sustain teacher pay, class sizes, safety and other recurring operating costs. District presenters told the board the continuation would prevent a loss of roughly $16 million in the first year if the current override lapses, and cumulative reductions would grow in subsequent years if voters do not approve a replacement.

What the committee recommended and why

District staff summarized the committee's work: four meetings (Jan. 27, Feb. 3, Feb. 20 and May 1), presentations on election history, tax impacts and bond/budget options, polling follow-up after a failed November 2024 bond election, and iterative changes to the bond scope to respond to voter feedback. The committee voted to forward both bond options 2 ($271.5M) and 3 ($199.4M) and to recommend a continuation of the existing 15% override.

Committee leadership said the recommendations were driven in part by facility and safety concerns at specific campuses (committee members repeatedly identified Hartford Elementary as an area of need) and by a desire to prioritize preventative maintenance, campus modernization, technology infrastructure and transportation fleet needs.

Timeline and next steps

Board members were told the Governing Board must act to place an override and/or bond question on the ballot by the board meeting on June 11 if it wishes to call an election for 2025; staff said the board could instead delay and call an election in 2026. District staff also scheduled a technical briefing with the district's financial advisor, Stifel, for May 30 to review tax-rate and bond-sale strategy before the June decision.

Tax and budget details presented

District presenters summarized several financial points: the district's existing combined secondary tax rate stood at about $1.28 per $100 of assessed value for the current fiscal year; if the district continued the override and issued new bonds, staff showed illustrative additional bond tax rates of ~¢46 (0.46) for a $487.45M authorization, ~¢32 (0.32) for a $271.5M authorization and smaller increments for the lower options. Staff explained those bond-rate projections are illustrative and that Stifel would present detailed structuring and timing options at the May 30 briefing.

The district also explained that override dollars are time-limited (overrides generally provide full funding for five years and taper thereafter) and that an approved continuation replaces the existing override rather than stacking on top of it.

Committee vote detail and board questions

Committee staff reported the committee's roll-call and voting record is in the meeting attachment (“bond and override attendance and results”); they said 20 committee members voted in favor of option 2 and 12 members voted for option 3 in addition to option 2. Board members asked clarifying questions about combined tax impacts (override plus bond), outreach strategies to reach voters, and what share of override dollars goes to salaries and classroom positions. Staff said the bulk of M&O override funding goes to salaries and benefits (district staff noted about 85% of M&O budgets are salaries/benefits and that a portion of an individual salary is funded by the override), and they promised a more detailed breakdown at the May 30 meeting.

Additional bond-scope edits

District staff described substantive scope reductions from the November 2024 proposal based on community feedback: removal of many non-instructional items, removal or scaling back of field turf and lighting projects, narrowing "innovation"/future-initiative allocations, and reducing the program's duration so the bond would fund a shorter cycle of preventative maintenance and modernization (staff said the proposal focuses on a roughly three-year cycle of prioritized work). Staff said several specific projects remained under consideration in the options, including Hartford Elementary reconstruction in some options, roofing/flooring upgrades, HVAC and restroom projects, targeted CTE upgrades, limited athletic lighting, transportation (bus) replacements, and technology-network hardware and wireless expansion.

Board decision expected in June

District staff and committee leaders told the board the formal board vote to call an election (and to approve ballot language and a joint pro statement for an override) would occur at the June board meetings. If the board calls an override, the Governing Board will produce a single pro statement authorized to represent the board on the ballot materials; bond pro/con statements have different rules.

Ending

Board members were reminded that additional information and technical briefings will be available on May 30 and that the board's decision on whether to call an election is scheduled for the June 11 meeting. Committee leaders and district staff said they remain available to answer follow-up questions from board members prior to that vote.