Vote NO on Unification

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this allow the curriculum that is taught to be more aligned?
No, the curriculum would be the exact same. The state of Arizona already dictates the alignment of curriculum for grades K-12. At the primary grade levels all grades are taught the same curriculum throughout the state. At the secondary levels the state standards dictate what is taught in each course.
Will my taxes go up?
The Arizona State Department of Education School Finance department has estimated that the school district portion of the property tax rate would increase by 8.7% for tax payers in Litchfield Elementary.
What will happen to teacher salaries?
The state redistrictricting commission says that they believe that school districts should implement a balanced salary schedule for all teachers. It will cost 40 million dollars statewide. Where will the state get these funds? The legislature has no plans to provide an additional 40 million dollars to schools to equalize salary schedules. The only way the new district can balance salaries is to cut the salary of some teachers or cut programs and services. The law only protects teacher salaries from going down during the first year of unification.
Is the state providing funds to deal with the costs of unifying student information systems, food service systems, transporation systems?
No, the state legislature and the school redistricting commission have provided no resources for districts to deal with these costs. Money will have to come out of the classroom to pay for these expenses. The only money provided to districts is to change signs and letterhead.
My child is bussed to another school outside of my community, will district unification resolve this issue?
No, unification will only make this problem worse. An overcrowed school and district will have the option of sending students to schools farther from their community because there are more schools in the district to to assist with aleviating overcrowding.
Why don't the school districts campaign for this election?
It is against Arizona state law for school districts to use any school district resources to promote a specific vote in an election. The only time the school district personnel can display their support is on their own time, using their own funds.

Remember to Vote YES on the School Overrides. This will not raise taxes. For more information, visit www.continuethequality.org