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Saddle Mountain is one of the fastest growing school districts in the West Valley, and our classrooms cannot keep up. Enrollment is up about 118% since 2016, and expected to increase another 41% over the next five years. Arizona ranks near the bottom in the nation for both school funding and classroom overcrowding, yet our teachers still graduate about 92.5% of their students, well above the state average. Propositions 435 and 436 protect that success and prepare our schools for the growth already at our door.
What are these Propositions and why now?
Why should I vote YES on 435 and 436?
Because Saddle Mountain is growing faster than its classrooms, and the state will not close the gap. Arizona ranks near last in the country for crowded classrooms and near last in spending per student. Our teachers have been asked to do more with less for years, yet they still have a graduation rate of 93%, that’s well above the state’s 79% average. Propositions 435 and 436 will keep good teachers in our classrooms, update aging campuses across the district, and build a new middle school to relieve overcrowding.
What happens if they fail?
The problems get worse, not frozen in place. Class sizes keep climbing, parents and students will see more teacher layoffs and cuts to critical programs.
Why is it important to support teachers and students?
Because teachers are the people standing in the rooms that are already overcrowded. When we lose a good teacher to a district that pays more, class sizes grow and students who were finally connecting have to start over. 435 keeps those teachers here. 436 gives them the space, supplies, and safe buildings to do their best work.
Isn't this just asking for extra money?
No. This is funding critical needs, not padding a budget. When the state does not provide enough, Arizona law lets local voters step in. It is so common that Maricopa County has 58 school districts and 71 override or budget-assistance programs already in place. These are needed because the state share simply does not support student education. The choice is not "extra" versus "normal," it is "keep our classrooms" versus "cut them."
Why are there two separate propositions?
Because Arizona law does not let one vote do both jobs. A bond pays for buildings and equipment with a long useful life. An override funds people, programs, and day-to-day operations. The two are not interchangeable, which is why you will see two questions. Voting YES on only one leaves the job half done.
State Funding and Accountability
Doesn't the state already fund our schools?
Not nearly enough, and its support keeps shrinking. Arizona spends about $11,987 per student against a national average of $17,873, ranking last in the nation. Adjusted for inflation, state formula dollars per student have actually fallen, from about $6,994 in FY2024 to an estimated $6,785 in FY2026. And only about 52 cents of every Arizona education dollar reaches instruction. Local bonds and overrides exist precisely because the state leaves the job unfinished.
Are our classrooms really that crowded?
Yes. Arizona has the most crowded classrooms in the country, about 22 students per teacher compared with roughly 15 nationally. Saddle Mountain sits right at that crowded end. Enrollment is up about 118% since 2016 and expected to increase another 41% in the next five years.
Is Saddle Mountain wasting money?
No. This district graduates students well above the state average while operating with less funds than almost any other state in the Country. Importantly, Propositions, 435 and 436 add even more accountability with strict oversight that limits spending to voter-approved projects only with public audits so voters can see how every dollar is spent.
Proposition 435 — Supports Teachers and Classrooms
What does Proposition 435 do?
435 is a Maintenance and Operations override. It supports the people and programs closest to our students. It helps retain and recruit good teachers, keeps class sizes manageable, and preserving electives, athletics, and career and technical education. It cannot build a school. It keeps the classroom running.
How much operating support would it provide?
If approved, the first full year is estimated to provide about $4.2 million which will go directly toward supporting the teachers and programs needed to give our kids the education they deserve.
Is it a blank check?
No. The override is time limited, restricted by law, reviewed by auditors, and every dollar can be tracked publicly. If the district does not deliver, voters can let it end.
Proposition 436 — Safe Schools for a Growing Community
What does Proposition 436 do?
436 is a school improvement bond of up to $66.5 million. It would support the building of a new middle school to relieve overcrowding, fund safety and security improvements at every campus, update aging infrastructure at existing schools, modernize classroom technology, repair athletic facilities, and replace tired school buses. Every dollar is limited to the purposes voters approve and subject to strict oversight.
Why a new middle school in Tartesso?
Right now, Tartesso Elementary is being used as a temporary middle school. That is a stopgap, not a solution. A new middle school lets students learn in their own community instead of busing across the district.
Are the schools falling apart?
Not all of them, but several are. The Ruth Fisher campus dates back to the 1960s, and parts of it are more than 40 years old and need real upgrades to roofs, heating and air systems, campus safety, and classrooms. Proposition 436 is about keeping good schools strong and building the next one where growth demands it.
Can bond money be spent on administrator salaries?
No. By law, bond dollars are for capital projects only, such as constructing and improving buildings and buying equipment, technology, and buses. They cannot pay salaries.
Why should I support the bond if I live in Tonopah?
Because Proposition 436 upgrades campuses across the entire district, not just Tartesso. It funds safety work, repairs, and technology at Winters Well and Ruth Fisher, replaces aging buses, and improves Tonopah Valley High School, which serves every neighborhood in the district. Growth on the Tartesso side still lands at TVHS, so relieving it helps everyone.
What It Costs, and What is the Value
Will this raise my taxes?
For the average homeowner, Propositions 435 and 436 would cost about 43 cents a day, less than the price of one cup of coffee a week. That modest investment would help retain great teachers, reduce class sizes, improve campus safety, update aging schools and build a new school to accommodate growth. It is a small cost to protect the future of our students and community.
Is this an open-ended tax that lasts forever?
No. The override is strictly time limited by and will sunset after a few years. The bond is repaid over a set period, like a mortgage, and then it is done. Neither is a permanent, automatic tax increase.
What if I am on a fixed income?
We understand that every dollar matters, especially for seniors and families on tight budgets. That is why the cost per household is kept modest and why the spending is capped, restricted, and audited. You are not signing a blank check. You are making a small, defined investment in the single thing that most protects local property values and community strength: good schools.
What do These Propositions Do For You and the Community
I have kids in SMUSD. What do these measures do for my family?
They protect the things you notice most. 435 keeps class sizes down so your child gets real attention, keeps good teachers from leaving for higher-paying districts, and protects full-day kindergarten, electives, athletics, and career programs. 436 gives your child safer campuses, modern classrooms, and a real middle school instead of a temporary one. Together, they mean your child learns in a school built for the community we are becoming, not the one we were a decade ago.
I do not have kids in SMUSD. Why should I care?
Because strong schools protect what you already own and the community you live in. Homes in highly rated school zones sold for about 35% more than the typical U.S. home in 2026, and research consistently links strong schools to higher, more stable property values. Good schools are also why employers choose to locate here, why families put down roots, and why our neighborhoods hold their value. When schools fall behind, so does the community around them, and that shows up at your own front door.
What is in it for the local economy?
A great deal. Employers do not guess about schools. When a company decides where to locate or expand, the local district is one of the first things it checks, because it determines whether it can recruit and keep qualified workers. Our schools are part of our economic infrastructure, no less important than roads or water. A community that builds for its students builds for its economy.
I live in Tartesso. What do I get?
A new middle school right in your community, smaller class sizes, modern classroom supplies and technology, and teachers who are not being stretched thinner every year.
I live in Tonopah. What do I get?
Investment in Winters Well and Ruth Fisher, updates to a campus that has been this community's school home since the 1960s, replacement buses, local control over how dollars are spent, and a high school that serves every neighborhood in the district.
How to Vote
When is the election?
- Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
- Early ballots mail October 7.
- In-person early voting runs October 7 through October 30. Your ballot has to be received by 7 p.m. on November 3, so do not wait.
- Vote YES on Propositions 435 and 436.
Am I registered? Can I still register?
- YES. The deadline for registering for this election is Monday, October 5, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
- If you moved, changed your name or have not voted here before, update it now.
- Check or register at the official Maricopa County Elections page.
- You must be a U.S. citizen, 18 by Election Day and an Arizona resident for at least 29 days.
What do I look for on the ballot?
Proposition 435 and Proposition 436. The official wording is dense, so here it is in plain language: 435 funds teachers and classrooms. 436 repairs outdated and builds needed classrooms. Vote YES on both.
Where can I learn more?
SecureOurCommunitysFuture.com. The official Maricopa County informational pamphlet contains the full ballot language and arguments. District data is available at azreportcards.azed.gov and sdspending.azauditor.gov.