PUSD Preps Big Voter Requests

By Erin Brassey for The Glendale Star 
Peoria Unified School District will ask voters to approve a 13 percent budget override and $125M bond in November. 
The 13 percent override will continue to provide important funding for the district, said Michelle Myers, PUSD’s CFO. 
Voters approved the current 13 percent override in 2015. But an increase to 15 percent narrowly failed last fall. 
PUSD voters first approved a 10 percent override in 1996 and renewed it in 2001, 2006 and 2012. In 2015, voters approved a 13 percent override. The authorization lasts for seven years and phases out over the last two years if not renewed or replaced with another voter-approved initiative. 
The district has 42 schools in Glendale and Peoria.  
Danielle Airey, a district spokeswoman, said the current 13 percent override provides approximately $28M for health care professionals, physical education, arts education, music, chorus and assistant principals. 
Myers said the bond will cover costs for upgrades and repairs to existing schools as well as purchase land to build a new high school. 
Judy Doane was the only member to fully vote against both motions. 
“I was willing to support a lesser override than this,” she said. 
Doane said that if the district wants to see the override succeed, then the bond should be delayed. 
Beverly Pingerelli abstained from voting for the override but did give her opinion on the subject. Pingerelli did not support the bond and questioned whether people in the meeting felt the bond or the override was more crucial for the district. 
Doane also mentioned her discussions on the override with citizens not associated with education. 
“Literally nobody that I have spoken to outside of the education realm has agreed that they would vote for this — nobody,” she said. 
Read more at Glendale Star.