Election Day 2013 is behind us and most homeowners in Litchfield Park, AZ couldn’t be happier that the recent Litchfield Elementary School District overrides we approved. With Arizona ranking near the bottom nationally for per pupil spending, it was shocking to see other cities around the Valley of the Sun (Greater Phoenix Area) not approve school overrides.
Contrary to some of the misinformation floating around, most overrides are renewals of existing overrides that will not raise property taxes. They are just continuations of the same tax that homeowners have already been paying. It may seem that homeowners are asked to vote on tax overrides often but that is only because that is how our state Legislature has setup the system – vote for a continuation of the existing override every four to five years. Let’s not forget that the state cut the overall public school funding by 22% between 2008 and 2012 and also eliminated all funding for new schools or repairs for older schools more than five years ago.
Most school districts were not asking for approval of tax overrides and bond approvals because of misspending. They were asking for the approvals because they want to maintain A+ school rating that attract good teachers/jobs and help to increase property values as parents concerned about their kids getting a quality education search for homes with access to highly performing schools.
If the overrides had not passed for the Litchfield Elementary School District, it could have been devastating. Without the override passing, the district would have had to cut 100 staff members and increase class sizes. Homeowners who live in Litchfield Park, North Goodyear, North Avondale and Verrado, who have children that attend schools in the Litchfield School Elementary District, know how important passing the overrides were to keep the schools great reputations. It’s no secret that the Litchfield Elementary School District is the best in the West Valley with most of the schools consistently ranked as A schools. Proper funding will go a long way to help maintain the excellence that the Litchfield Elementary School District has worked so hard over the years to achieve. Congrats to all homeowners who voted to keep the overrides in place!
If you are a potential home buyer looking for a home to purchase within the Litchfield Elementary School Boundary Map, be sure to visit the following webpage: Search Homes for Sale within the Litchfield Elementary School District Boundary.