Tucson Unified School District voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to approve Proposition 414, a seven-year budget override that would increase the district’s maintenance and operations funding by 15%.

Arizona law allows school districts to increase their maintenance and operations budgets each year by up to 15% of the limit imposed by the state Legislature. Voter-approved overrides are effective for seven years, with a phasedown period in the final two years.

The measure would generate about $45 million annually for teacher pay raises, arts programs, counselors, preschool classrooms and other student services.

 TUSD has not had an override in more than 25 years and is the only major school district in Tucson without a voter-approved override.

Revenue and cost

The proposed budget increase would be paid for through local property taxes within the district.

If approved, homeowners would pay an additional $1.02 for every $100 of a property’s assessed value, with the average cost estimated at about $17 a month. The plan would raise the district’s maintenance and operations budget to about $449.2 million for the 2026–27 school year.

What will it fund?

If approved by voters, the override would help fund:

• Salary increases for all classroom teachers and other employees
• Expanded access to teacher interventionists in reading and math
• Maintenance and expansion of fine arts programs in 14 additional schools
• Funding for all school counselors, with a reduced counselor-to-student ratio from 500-to-1 to 400-to-1
• One full-time social worker at each TUSD high school
• Physical education teachers in all elementary, K–6 and K–8 schools
• Initiatives aimed at improving student attendance
• Five additional full-day preschool classrooms and $2,000 in annual instructional supplies for all preschool classrooms
• Expansion of high school credit recovery programs
• Fifteen instructional specialists in Career and Technical Education (CTE) classrooms, along with a systems integration specialist to support all CTE programs
• Four additional career coaches to assist students with postsecondary career pathways in technical and vocational programs

What happens if it’s not approved?

If Proposition 414 is not approved, TUSD’s budget will remain at $404.2 million for fiscal year 2025–26, and the proposed improvements will not be made.

What are supporters saying?

“Our schools are struggling, not because students aren’t capable or teachers aren’t trying, but because funding on the state and federal levels continues to be severely cut,” said Denise Contreras, a retired TUSD principal. “The TUSD override will bring crucial local funding into Tucson classrooms — money that can’t be taken by politicians in Phoenix or Washington and can’t be used to underwrite private schools.”

Like many other public school educators, Contreras said she saw firsthand the financial struggles teachers faced.

“This is personal for me and for every teacher who ever stayed up late grading papers, every parent who juggled two jobs to give their child a better future, and every student who ever felt like school was the essential ladder to big dreams.”

The Southern Arizona Leadership Council’s Ted Maxwell and Cristie Street also support Proposition 414, saying it would help fund competitive teacher salaries.

Other TUSD parents believe the measure is crucial because it provides stable local funding, independent of state or federal restrictions.

“TUSD and other school districts are coming under pressure from ideological extremists to stop teaching the history of slavery in America and stop teaching about the reality of climate change,” said TUSD parent and Ward 5 Tucson City Council candidate Selina Barajas. “The threat is always that educational funding will be withheld if Tucson doesn’t give in. Prop 414 provides important funding that the Legislature and federal government can’t touch.”

Voting

More information about the override can be found in the voter information pamphlet or on TUSD's bond and override election website.

Ruby Wray is a journalism and creative writing major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at rubywray@arizona.edu.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.