Voters to Decide Oracle Schools Override Continuation
VIA SBINSIDER | October 16th, 2023
SaddleBrooke residents and all residents in the Oracle School District should have received their ballots recently asking them to reaffirm their continued support for a property tax override. This vote is mail-only so no polling places will be opened on election day November 7th, 2023.
If you did not receive your ballot, you can get one by contacting the Pinal County Recorders office by dialing 311 from anywhere in the county. You can mail in the ballot or drop it at a number of locations, including the Oracle School District Office on Election Day. It is located at 2618 W El Paseo, Oracle, AZ 85623.
Voters originally voted in favor of the override in 2004. The current vote would simply maintain the current rate structure.
Arizona traditionally has been very parsimonious with money for schools, despite the fact that 50% of the total state budget is devoted to K-12 education. Overrides are a means for the voters in each local area to express their support for their local school district and that is why the vote is being called.
Where does the money go?
The money goes to two areas. A portion goes to fund full-day kindergarten (Arizona pays public school districts for half-day kindergarten, as kindergarten students are weighted at half the per student allocation as a student in Grades 1-12), special programs such as physical education, art education, music education, and Tech Academy (coding, cyber-citizenship skills, typing, programming), smaller class sizes, and competitive wages to recruit and retain highly skilled employees.
Maintenance and Operations budget gets the other money and it goes to the budget for utilities, employee salaries and benefits, instructional materials, food for student meals, fuel for school buses, etc.
SaddleBrooke and the Ranch are an island of prosperity compared to the entirety of the district. Most of the residents owe their success in life to a solid education that provided us a thriving upper-middle class careers and comfortable retirements. A Yes vote is the smart vote.
“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”
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