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Superintendent urges bond — not override — to fix aging schools, citing enrollment uptick
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Jay told the board he favors a facilities bond to fund urgent safety and infrastructure repairs and to 'reimagine' the district to boost enrollment, while declining to recommend an operating override now; board members asked for line‑item transparency and an election cost breakdown. No vote was taken.
Fountain Hills — Superintendent Dr. Jay recommended the board pursue a capital bond focused on building repairs and safety upgrades rather than an operating override, saying the bond would address high‑urgency plumbing, HVAC and safety needs across sites and help the district reimagine facilities to attract students.
"I'm not going to recommend that we go for an override," Dr. Jay said, adding that the immediate priority is to repair infrastructure problems and invest capital where it will make buildings safe and attractive. He told the board enrollment has reversed a long decline and is "up almost a 100 kids this year," which he said brought roughly $300,000 in additional maintenance and operations (M&O) funding this year.
Dr. Jay outlined bond priorities that would be presented to the board for a line‑item plan: classroom safe rooms, ornamental fencing, camera and access control upgrades, window and door improvements, HVAC replacements, plumbing remediation and essential roofing and envelope repairs. He said the goal would be to refresh buildings for roughly a 20‑year lifecycle and that some capital spending could free up M&O resources to raise teacher pay.
Board members pressed for Scottsdale-style transparency — a web-hosted, line-item plan that shows projected use of bond proceeds and periodic reporting on completed projects. Members also asked for a full accounting of election costs (county election fees, consultant and pamphlet translation expenses) and whether multiple questions (e.g., property disposition and bond questions) could be combined in a single election to reduce per-election cost.
Dr. Jay said the administration will prepare a draft line-item plan, provide election cost estimates and continue community outreach; the board emphasized the need to show voters how funds would be spent before returning to the community. Since the meeting was informational, the board took no vote and will continue the discussion at future sessions.
