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Our call — vote YES
The measure
The Tolleson Union High School District's second question on November 3, 2026 (Maricopa County) is its 15% Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget override, for seven years, per the district's informational pamphlet. The pamphlet calls it "a continuation and increase of the existing 15% override" — and its own numbers explain that wording: the percentage does not change, but the existing override is in its first phase-out year, already reduced by one-third ($5,434,903), so approving restores the full override. The override funds existing programs, including extracurricular activities, per the pamphlet.
What YES does
A YES vote restores and continues the full 15% override. The estimated total override amount for fiscal year 2027/2028 is $16,304,710, funded by a levy on taxable property in the district at an estimated secondary tax rate of $0.72 per $100 of net assessed valuation — a rate the pamphlet states is equal to the rate for the current override before the phase-down.
What NO does
A NO vote continues the phase-out: another one-third reduction in fiscal year 2027/2028 — each one-third reduction lowers the secondary tax rate by $0.24, per the pamphlet — and the override is no longer levied in fiscal year 2028/2029 unless renewed.
The math
The pamphlet prints the full picture: same 15%, $16,304,710 for fiscal 2027/2028, $0.72 per $100 NAV — the pre-phase-down rate, not a higher one. For the owner of a home with a limited property value of $154,934, the district average, the estimated cost is approximately $112 per year. Separately reported, the override works out to an estimated $9.33 a month added to the average homeowner's cost against the phased-down current year. The "increase" in the pamphlet's language is measured against a tax already one-third phased out — the rate itself does not rise above what voters carried before.
OUR CALL
Our call: YES.
Judged on its numbers rather than its label, this is a continuation: same percentage, same pre-phase-down rate, full amount and homeowner cost printed, funding existing programs. That is the voters' own existing tax asking for consent before it disappears. Renew it.
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
- Tolleson Union informational pamphlet (Maricopa County School Superintendent) — continuation language, $16,304,710 estimate, $0.72 rate, phase-down mechanics, and $112 average-home cost — https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55314ad4e4b04c1bc645ad3e/t/6aa8358d6ec75a720ca52b51/1789408653696/TollesonUnionHSD2026.pdf
- azcentral reporting of the estimated $9.33/month average homeowner cost, as recorded in the research file
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.