Frequently Asked Questions About Elections

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.  In fact, Arizona law does not allow school districts to require developers to fund school construction.  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 will Asante families be impacted if funding for another school isn’t approved?

Growth in the Asante area is rapid, and the current school 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. Without another campus in the area, we would have to cut additional grade levels, adjust boundaries, and bus even more students to other schools until a new school can be built. We have land in the area already, but still need the funds to construct a school.

Why can’t you just move money from one area to another to cover what you need?

School districts receive various funds from both state and federal sources. Each of these funds has specific legal restrictions on what they can and cannot cover, and do not allow for uses outside of those rules. For example, some funds can only be used for capital item purchases - such as buildings, buses, technology and equipment - while others can only be used for staff salaries and benefits or program costs. A video that helps explain this in greater details is available here.

What is a bond?

Bonds are similar to loans that are authorized by voters and funded through property taxes.  They are used to purchase capital items and/or make capital improvements, such as buildings, furniture, equipment, technology, textbooks, and buses.  The funding can only be used to fund projects that have a useful life longer than five years.  Bond funding can NOT be used for day-to-day operating expenses like salaries, utilities, and supplies.  Bonds are repaid over a set period of time, similar to a mortgage.

What is Dysart’s record for fiscal responsibility and transparency?

• Dysart has earned the ASBO Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for 29 years. 
• 8.5% per pupil administration costs are lower than the state average (10.3%). 
• Budget information is always available on our website at Dysart.org/budget.

Why don’t charter schools have to go out for elections for extra funding?

Charter schools do not have the ability to raise money through local property taxes, so they cannot hold bond or override elections. Instead, they receive additional state funding called Charter Additional Assistance (CAA) to assist in supplementing expenses such as buildings, equipment, technology, and other needs. However, school districts must ask their local voters to approve bonds or overrides in order to receive this extra local funding beyond what the state provides.

How can I access Dysart budget information?

Dysart Schools lists detailed information on budgets and annual financial reports at Dysart.org/Budget.

How do districts obtain land for school locations?

Often developers or home builders will set aside and donate enough land (15-20 acres) to build an elementary school when they are building a new community. However, it is rare for anyone to donate enough land to build a high school (50-60 acres). If land is not donated, then a district would have to pursue other means by which to obtain land, which could include land swap and joint use agreements with local cities, or a land purchase using Capital funding, often through voter-approved bonds. It is important to note that current state law makes it illegal for anyone to require a developer/builder to donate land, or fund a school.

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 a Bond 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.

Dysart has worked with the Arizona School Facilities Division closely, and was approved for various facility maintenance and mechanical repairs and replacement projects totaling $27.9 million over the past two years. However, due to the size and design capacity of all 26 schools within the district, Dysart does not currently qualify for Arizona School Facilities Division (SFD) funds to pay for the construction of schools. SFD’s process does not take into account the varied population density across the district’s 140 square miles or new home building projects that would impact capacity, nor does it matter if the location for available space requires students to be bussed to campuses far away from a community. Additionally, even if approved for SFD funding for new school construction, SFD bases the amount off of a formula, but it does not cover 100% of the cost.

If the district goes to voters to request bond funds, and voters approve the request, then the district receives that funding over the designated period through property taxes paid by residents. If voters reject the request, additional funding is not available.

What is the history of bond elections in Dysart?

The last voter-approved bond that was passed in Dysart was in 2006. It was approved for up to $190 million, however, the district only ended up selling bonds for $122 million. Over the length of the bond, Dysart monitored and refinanced several times to maximize a cost savings for taxpayers of over $20 million in interest. The 2006 bond is set to fully phase out by the end of 2028.

Voters rejected bonds for Dysart in 2019 and again in 2024, both of which would have included funds to purchase high school land, and build an elementary school. Additionally, Dysart had to adjust boundaries for the 2024-2025 school year in order to accommodate growth in the Northwest Asante area, which included the need to bus all 5-8th grade students to another school with capacity outside of the neighborhood.

How are boundary changes and new school site decisions made?

While Dysart may own land in various locations within district boundaries, they work closely with their planning department and demographers to evaluate population projections. This allows them to plan better for future needs, so that they 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.

Isn’t funding for school construction available from the Arizona School Facilities Board?

While the Arizona School Facilities Division has a legal obligation to pay for the construction of schools, the requirements are very strict. SFD funding is subject to legislative appropriations, and requires a school district, with all schools combined, to exceed the design capacity district-wide by 20% within 3-years of the current year, for the entire elementary or high school grade range. It does not take into account the varied population density across the district or new home building projects that would impact capacity.

How long does it take to build a new school?

Typically it will take approximately two years to complete a new school. This includes the design phase and construction, which are all dependent on availability of building materials, permit timelines, weather conditions, and other factors.