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Higley superintendent: 15% M&O override failed; district to cut about $9 million over two years
Summary
David Lostenizer, superintendent of Higley Unified School District, announced the district's 15% maintenance and operations override failed and said the district will need to reduce about $9 million from its budget over the next two years.
David Lostenizer, superintendent of Higley Unified School District, said the district's 15% maintenance and operations (M&O) override initiative on the ballot failed. "Our 15% maintenance and operations override initiative on the ballot failed," Lostenizer said (SEG 006'007).
Lostenizer told the community the failure will require budget cuts and that the district will explain the details to residents. "We're gonna have to reduce by about 9 additional million dollars over the next 2 years out of our budget," he said, adding the figure as an approximate amount (SEG 011'013). He said the district will communicate the specific changes so the community understands "what's gonna happen" (SEG 008'010).
The superintendent framed the district's response as focused on controlling what it can control. Drawing on his experience as a coach, Lostenizer urged staff and the community to "control what you can control" and to focus the response on student success rather than the election outcome (SEG 015'019). He emphasized maintaining the district's mission: "making sure that Higley Unified School District is a wonderful place for people to be" (SEG 020'022).
Lostenizer described the coming period as a test of the community's resilience and said the district will pursue cuts "with poise, creativity, and perseverance" to protect students' opportunities (SEG 023'029). He closed by calling for unity: "More than ever, Higley, we need to come together because truly, we'll figure it out and we got this" (SEG 030'031).
The superintendent did not specify which programs, staff positions, or services would be reduced or the schedule for implementing cuts. He said only that reductions would total about $9 million over two years and that the district will communicate details to the community. The result reported was the outcome of the public election; no board motion or in-meeting vote on these cuts was recorded in this message (SEG 006'014).
