Osborn Elementary No. 8
Voting without knowing what's on your ballot is like lighting your money on fire.
What is the upcoming election about?
The Osborn Elementary School District is asking to sell $100 Million dollars in bonds in addition to a $1.5 Million dollar budget override.
What are the significant dates for the election?
- If you aren't already registered to vote, the last day to register in order to be eligible to vote in this election is Tuesday, October 10th, 2023.
Check your voter registration status at ezaz.org/vote
- Ballots will be mailed on October 11, 2023. The last day to request early ballot October 27
- VOTED BALLOTS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 7 p.m., November 7th. MAIL ballots by October 31st.
Who can vote in this election?
All registered voters that reside in the Osborn Elementary School District will receive a ballot by mail with voting instructions in the envelope.
What policies did Osborn Elementary School District implement with my tax dollars?
- Hides Child's Transgender Status from parents. - SOURCE
- Equity with Justice is one of their Core Values. - SOURCE
- Equity teaches people and children that there is systemic racism, they are entitled to reparations and more because of the color of their skin. - SOURCE
- Justice in this scenario stands for Defunding the Police. - SOURCE
- When asked about how early sexual education should start, one school board member wants to teach students about their bodies, "safe touch," and healthy relationships "at a very early age." The same member wants to teach Critical Race Theory, Social Emotional Learning, LGBTQ Inclusion, and Equity Issues to children in her Elementary System. - SOURCE
- Critical Race Theory teaches that systemic racism is part of American society - from education and housing to employment and healthcare. - SOURCE
- Another school board member believes sexual education should start in 5th/6th grade and teaching of Social-emotional learning, LGBTQ, and Equity should be taught from a young age. This school board member was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates. - SOURCE
- CASEL, a leading organization for implementing SEL in schools, displays on their website a poster to illustrate what Social Emotional Learning is. “Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a process through which children and adults develop the fundamental skills for life effectiveness. We need SEL skills for ourselves, our relationships, and our work. In OUSD, we believe that strengthening these skills enhances our ability to effectively and ethically connect across race, class, culture, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, learning needs, and age.” - SOURCE
- SEL uses emotional responses to generate student attention to drive learning. - SOURCE
Aren’t Osborn Elementary schools doing a good job?
- 23% of students are proficient or highly proficient at English Language Arts
- 18% of students are proficient or highly proficient at Math
Aren’t Osborn Elementary Teachers underpaid?
Osborn Elementary pays an average annual salary of $53,602 to teachers. The average annual salary in Phoenix is $48,000.
What are taxpayers in the Osborn Elementary School District being asked?
Voters will be asked to say yes or no on two measures:
- The sale of $105 million in new bonds
- A $1.5 million Budget Override
What are the current tax rates for the override and the bond?
- The average annual tax on a home in Osborn is estimated to be $168.93 per year for the bonds.
- The average tax on a residential home in Osborn is estimated to be $41.72 per year for the override.
- Shows up on your tax bill as secondary property tax.
- Property taxes combined add up to thousands of dollars!
- To view your current property tax liability, visit https://treasurer.maricopa.gov/Parcel/ParcelSearch.aspx
Is Osborn Elementary School District underfunded?
Osborn Elementary spends $14,415 per student per year.
If the override and bond fail, how will my taxes be affected?
- Without passage of the override, the district will have to reduce the operational budget.
- Once any outstanding Bonds and Overrides are repaid, you won't have to continue paying Secondary property taxes related to the bond.
How has more funding impacted Osborn Elementary Public Schools?
Comparing to the 2018-2019 School Year Performance to the 2021-2022 School Year Performance
- Nearly 8% Drop in Enrollment
- 20% Drop in Math Proficiency
- 7% Drop in English Proficiency
- Reported Instances of Violence Increased from 0 to 88 [Nearly an Instance Every Other Day Based on 180 Days per Arizonan School Year]
- Total Students Reported as Harassed or Bullied Increased from 0 to 4
- Total Students with Chronic Absenteeism Increased from 812 to 1,379 [Over Half of Enrolled Students]
- Decreased Drop Out Rate from 1.56%% to 1.49%
School officials claim this is a just a continuation and there will be no new taxes. Is this accurate?
- Once any outstanding Bonds and Overrides are repaid, you won't have to continue paying Secondary property taxes related to the bond.
- If the measures pass, the current Secondary tax rates will remain the same; however;
- If the measures pass, the total amount of taxes paid will likely go higher if there is continued inflation related to property values.
What is the difference between an override continuation and a bond election?
- Osborn Elementary is legally allowed to call the override a continuation even though we will vote to approve it as if it is new.
- The $100 million in bonds is NOT a continuation and is a separate item on the property tax statement.
- Both items will be separate items on the ballot.
What does Osborn Elementary Schools intend to use the additional funds for?
The $100 million bond program is expected to fund the following projects:
- Construct New Performance / Auditorium Facility
- Classroom Modernization
- Technology, Furniture and Equipment Upgrades
- Construct a New Child Nutrition Center
- Facilities and Grounds Improvements and Repairs
- Energy Efficient (EV) School Buses
The proposed $1,500,000 override monies are expected to fund the following programs in the first year:
- Curriculum Materials and Instructional Software
- Classroom and District Technology
I’m renting. Why should I care about this election?
- If the override and bond measures are defeated, your landlord’s taxes will go down and could mitigate future rent increases.
- Irrespective of being a property owner, we all want to see the kids receive a quality education.
- To view your current property tax liability, visit https://treasurer.maricopa.gov/Parcel/ParcelSearch.aspx
The information above may have been compiled from the following additional sources:
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Arizona School Report Cards (https://azreportcards.azed.gov/)
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Center Square Website (https://www.thecentersquare.com)
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Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Council (https://www.azjlbc.gov/)
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Arizona Auditor General (azauditor.gov)
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Zippia Website (zippia.com)
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Maricopa County Treasurer (https://treasurer.maricopa.gov/Parcel/TaxBill.aspx)
Please Note: EZAZ.org takes no position for or against the items on your ballot. Vote your conscience.