Iwant to thank our community for taking the time to vote in the recent general election.
Arecord number of residents voted on a plethora of issues and candidates in this election, including the Dysart Unified School District override continuation question, which passed.
This vote shows that the Dysart community truly supports quality education for all children and economic value as the largest employer. Thank you for your generosity on behalf of our nearly 27,000 Dysart students and employees.
The continued override funding will allow Dysart Unified School District to keep serving this community, with the very best educational opportunities available. As voters and taxpayers in our district, I want you to know exactly how this funding will be spent over the next five years:
• $8.82 million — to retain 125 of our teachers to help us maintain current class sizes.
• $2.23 million — to keep our teacher salaries competitive to attract and retain highly-qualified staff.
• $7.63 million — to keep extra math and reading supports in place. This includes funds for math and reading interventionists, teaching and learning specialists and salaries and stipends for our arts, PE and athletic programs.
• $2.05 million — to fund 30 kindergarten teachers for all-day kindergarten.
Our budget, bond and override details are always available on our website at Dysart.org/Budget. I invite you to view them anytime; our budget books are open. You are welcome to reach out to the district with any questions you may have regarding anything budget-related or otherwise.
I am so proud to report that our Dysart schools have shown great success — a 93% graduation rate, nine A+ Schools of Excellence, and 17 schools with an A or B rating from the Arizona Department of Education.
We know our community has choice when it comes to which school they send their child to, and in Dysart we have many options for our families to choose from. Dysart offers a variety of educational pathways to pique student interests, and we remain focused on providing extraordinary academic, high level arts and competitive athletic opportunities. Override funding will ensure we will be able to continue offering these programs in the future.
We are extremely fortunate to have such dedicated parents, staff, and neighbors who care about the educational needs of this community.
Thank you for supporting the override continuation, and demonstrating the importance of exercising your civic duty to ensure that all Dysart Unified children are well-prepared for their future.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Kellis is the superintendent of the Dysart Unified School District.
