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Our call — vote NO
The measure
The Saddle Mountain Unified School District's second question on November 3, 2026 (Maricopa County) is a 15% Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget override, per the district's official informational pamphlet. Critically, the pamphlet describes it for what it is: a continuation and increase of the district's existing override — the existing override is 10%, and this question raises it to 15%. The first-year amount is estimated at $4,208,500.
What YES does
A YES vote authorizes the district to exceed its revenue control limit by 15% instead of the current 10% — five points more operations spending authority — funded by a levy on taxable property in the district at an estimated tax rate of $0.41 per $100 of net assessed valuation.
What NO does
A NO vote keeps the district at its existing authority. The existing 10% override continues on its own terms and schedule; the district operates without the additional five points, and no part of the increase is levied.
The math
The numbers are printed — $4,208,500 estimated first year, $0.41 per $100 NAV estimated rate — and we credit the district for printing them and for labeling the question an increase honestly. But the math is the problem, not the disclosure: this is not the voters' existing tax renewed. It is a 50% larger override — 10% to 15% — and the pamphlet data retrieved does not document a core need that requires the higher level rather than the existing one.
OUR CALL
Our call: NO.
Our rule for overrides is consistent: continuations at the same rate earn a YES; increases earn a NO unless the district documents a core need the article can print. Saddle Mountain documented the increase clearly — and documented no such need in the material retrieved. Keep the 10%; vote NO on raising it to 15%.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. ---
Sources
- Maricopa County School Superintendent — Bond and Override Elections (2026), and the district informational pamphlet linked from that page (accessed October 25, 2026) — https://schoolsup.org/bond-and-override-elections (district informational pamphlet: continuation and increase of the existing 10% override to 15%; estimated first-year $4,208,500; estimated $0.41 per $100 NAV)
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.