On November 2, Cave Creek Unified School District held a special election to decide on whether to pass the first education bond in seven years. This bond is crucial to the funding of the schools in the district, and can improve enrollment, make necessary upgrades to facilities, and pay off debts.
With conflicting signs at every corner, it’s hard to determine what an education bond even is.
Put simply, education bonds are voter-approved funds that can only be used for school facilities. Districts collect this money by taxing property owners on the assessed value of their properties. So, by voting “yes” on a school bond, community members agree to increase property taxes to fund the school.
In Cave Creek, the average cost to homeowners would be $94 per year or about $8 per month.
This negligent increase on taxes would give the district $40 million. The funds will be split up with $4 million for new technology, $1 million for safety and security, $3 million for sports facility upgrades, $27 million for general facility upgrades and maintenance, $3.2 million for buses and $800 thousand to pay off debt from a solar and energy saving project.
The benefits of passing an education bond are vast. Interest from the bonds are tax free,
CCUSD has not passed a bond since 2014. This has put us miles behind other school districts in programs, technology, and facilities. Currently, only 52% of students in Cave Creek actually attend Cave Creek Unified schools.
Speaking from personal experience, the lack of technology, resources, and support in the district is evident. Lessons are interrupted daily as kids run Chromebooks back and forth between classrooms, teachers are losing prep hours to substitute other classes, and we’re losing administrators left and right.
That’s not to mention the facility’s obvious decay. Roofs have leaks, bathrooms are closed regularly, and lights are out in countless rooms. To me, it’s no wonder enrollment rates are dropping, especially with online schools’ increasing popularity since COVID-19.
Some district members argue that since the bond goes towards the tangible items in the school district, not programs, the funds are unnecessary. By giving the district more funds it can potentially free up money for maintenance and operation budgets, which affects teacher salaries. This nickel-and-dime attitude is the reason our schools are so behind in the first place. For such a low price with such a big benefit to the school, now is not the time to be waiting around.
This bond will serve to benefit all seven schools in the district, and will supply capital needs until 2028-2030. For only $94 dollars a year, a cost this district can definitely afford, our schools could have the funds necessary to thrive for the first time in seven years.