Kyrene Elementary School District will be seeking a continuation of its Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budget override on the November ballot. The Kyrene Governing Board voted Tuesday, April 29 to seek a continuation of the 15% M&O override.

The board’s unanimous vote at a special meeting on April 29 follows a recommendation by the Kyrene Long Range Planning Committee, presented during the April 22 regular governing board meeting.

Overrides allow local voters to approve additional funding beyond state allocations for school district operating costs. In Kyrene, M&O override funds support the following:

• Small class sizes
• Special area instruction
• Targeted student support services
• Competitive salaries to attract and retain top educators

“This override generates approximately $14 million in additional operating funds, which is the equivalent of 200 teaching positions,” said Kyrene Superintendent Laura Toenjes. “That’s more than 20% of all Kyrene teachers.”

The ability to use M&O overrides for salaries and other day-to-day operational costs is distinctly different from bonds and capital overrides, which can only be used for capital projects such as infrastructure, transportation and technology.

Kyrene has been operating under a locally supported M&O override for more than 20 years. That override lasts a maximum of seven years unless it is renewed early. Voters last approved the override continuation in 2021. If it is not renewed, the annual amount phases down by one-third in the sixth year and two-thirds in the seventh year.

Greg Larson, a Kyrene parent and community member representing the Kyrene Long Range Planning Committee, addressed the board at the April 22 meeting and stressed that an override on the November ballot would not be a new tax.

“This is not a tax increase. This is simply a continuation of something that has been in existence for several years,” he said.

The override continuation proposal will appear on the ballot for Kyrene voters in the November 4, 2025, General Election.