Asante Preparatory and Surrounding Community Could be Impacted by Election Results

As an Asante parent we want to make sure you are aware of the upcoming Dysart Election and how it could impact your student(s).  Prop 421 would fund the construction of a new elementary school and land for a new high school in the Northwest Asante area, if approved.

As you likely know, growth in the Asante area is rapid, and Asante Preparatory Academy has limited capacity. We already adjusted the grade levels (in 2024-2025) to serve Pre-k through fifth grade only and started busing 6-8th grade students to another school with capacity outside of the neighborhood. As the community grows, without another campus in the area, we may have to cut additional grade levels, adjust boundaries, and bus even more students to other schools until a new school can be built. We do have land in the area already, but still need the funds to construct a school.

Here are some additional FAQs that you may find helpful regarding how building and funding new schools works:

• Home builders and realtors told us that a school will be built in our neighborhood. Why hasn’t that happened? Home builders and realtors may know that we own certain properties, however that does not mean a school will necessarily be built on that site. While Dysart may own land in various locations, we work closely with our planning department and demographers to evaluate population projections, which allows us to plan for future needs at various sites. Home builders often donate elementary school land to school districts when developing a community, however, they are not responsible for constructing the school itself.  Therefore, even though we have land, funding is still needed to construct a new school - usually through state support or voter-approved bonds -  and the location would be dependent on population projections and growth patterns to ensure the location made the greatest impact.

• How do districts obtain land for school locations? Arizona law does not allow school districts to require developers to fund school construction.  Therefore, even though we have land for an elementary school, funding is still needed to construct the new school - usually through state support or voter-approved capital funding. Home builders do not typically donate enough land to build a high school, therefore districts need capital funding to purchase larger parcels of land for high schools.

• How does a district obtain Capital funding? District’s receive a very limited amount of Capital funds each year (~$13 million for Dysart), and it is needed for many things like building maintenance, equipment replacement, etc. It is not enough to pay for new school construction, so when a district has a need for funding that is greater than what is available, they must either work with the Arizona School Facilities Division (SFD) to request a portion of their limited budget provided by the state, or go to the voters through an election to request additional funding. Currently, an elementary school typically costs about $35 million to build, and a high school costs about $150 million to build.

• What is the history of bond elections in Dysart? It has been 20 years since a capital funding request was approved for Dysart. Voters rejected capital funding for Dysart in 2013, 2019, 2024, and again in 2025. The last bond, which was approved in 2006, will be completely phased out of the current tax rate by 2028.

• How are boundary changes and new school site decisions made? While Dysart may own land in various locations within district boundaries, we work closely with our planning department and demographers to evaluate population projections. This allows us to plan better for future needs, so that we know which areas within the district are expected to see growth or decline, and in turn, where it would make the most sense to build a new school, or change boundaries in order to better balance the expected enrollment numbers based on population density. Most recently, Dysart made boundary adjustments for the 24/25 school year to accommodate rapid growth in the northern part of the district around Asante.  This resulted in grade level and boundary changes that impacted three schools. Additional adjustments across the district will likely be necessary again if funds for construction of a new elementary school are not approved by voters, as the community continues to grow.
  

Drop off your ballot or vote by Election Day on November 3! Find a ballot drop box at Elections.Maricopa.gov and learn more at Dysart.org/Prop421.