To the Editor:

As an MUSD parent, former Governing Board member and Maricopa City Councilmember, I care about both how we fund our schools and how those dollars are spent. Our students deserve strong schools, taxpayers deserve accountability, and our community deserves a voice in those decisions.

That is why I support Proposition 416 and oppose Proposition 320.

Proposition 416 continues MUSD’s existing 10% maintenance and operations override. It renews funding our schools already depend on. This year, that funding provides approximately $7.8 million to maintain smaller class sizes, support RAM Academy so students can recover credits and work toward graduation, and keep student technology working and available.

These are practical investments that make a difference in our classrooms. Without renewal, that funding will phase out, putting those services at risk.

Having served on the MUSD Governing Board, I know what goes into a school district budget. There are difficult decisions, competing needs and a responsibility to make every dollar count. The district’s recognition for fiscal accountability and transparency matters. So does maintaining that accountability to the families and taxpayers who fund our schools.

Proposition 320 takes budget decisions further away from those families and their locally elected representatives.

It would require covered districts, including MUSD, to spend at least 60 cents of every operating dollar on “direct instruction,” with the Auditor General determining what qualifies after voters approve the measure.

Before we impose a requirement like that, voters should know exactly what counts and what does not.

Transportation, building maintenance, security and some special education services may fall outside that definition under current classifications. But those services are part of providing an education. Students need to get to school safely, learn in buildings that are maintained and receive the support they need to succeed.

Proposition 320 provides no additional funding to meet its requirement. Districts could be forced to cut needed services to reach a spending percentage, even when those decisions do not reflect local needs.

I believe in reading the fine print, asking hard questions and holding public institutions accountable. I also believe the people we elect locally should be responsible for making budget decisions—and answering to the community for those decisions.

Proposition 416 continues funding that supports MUSD students. Proposition 320 limits local decision-making without providing additional resources.

Please join me in voting yes on Proposition 416 and no on Proposition 320.

Annamarie Knorr
Maricopa City Councilmember, MUSD parent and former MUSD Governing Board member