Republican Party of Maricopa County Calls For Sweeping Reforms To Override Election Laws

[Harry Mathews]

October 16, 2015

Contact: Jake Hoffman, Communications Director, [phone], [e-mail]

Tempe, Arizona – The Maricopa County GOP is calling for sweeping reforms to school district override election laws, in order to ensure that the voting public is no longer misled regarding how the money will be spent should the tax increase be approved.

The overwhelming majority of voters in Arizona are unaware that school districts are only legally obligated to spend override monies on the priorities outlined in the official voter pamphlets and promoted by pro-tax political action committees in the first year. After year one, school districts are free to waste the override dollars on whatever non-essential, non-classroom purposes they choose.

"Legislation to correct the widespread voter confusion as to how override dollars can be spent and the manner in which those expenditures are communicated to the public prior to the election is long overdue," said Republican Party of Maricopa County Spokesman Jake Hoffman. "As a former elected school board member, I have sat in public meetings where in response to questions about the spending priorities listed in the voter pamphlet language, the district’s staff attorney has advised the board not to worry about the specifics of the language because the district is only legally obligated to spend the money as indicated in the first year and then it can be spent however the district desires."

Arizona school children and the education they receive are too important to be left to these bait-and-switch tax schemes pushed by public school district administrators under the guise of teacher pay and smaller classes, when in reality the steep decline in dollars going to classroom tells us that these very district leaders intend to squander the money on non-classroom expenditures. 

Jake Hoffman

Communications Director

Republican Party of Maricopa County

[phone]

[e-mail]