Washington Elementary board orders M&O override election for November 2026

The Washington Elementary School District governing board voted on May 14 to order a special maintenance & operations (M&O) override election for the November 2026 ballot.

District official Mr. O'Brien told the board the request follows normal practice for renewals and that timing is driven by county and statutory deadlines: "By law, the Maricopa County sets when we have deadlines. So we're bringing this to you this evening cuz we're going to be fast approaching deadlines in June," he said. He explained the override's lifecycle and the rationale for asking voters to renew the funding before statutory phased reductions would begin.

What the override funds: Mr. O'Brien and board members described that override revenue typically supports full‑day kindergarten (Arizona funds only half‑day kindergarten), music, art and physical education, intervention specialists, extended school year (ESY) services for some special education students, the Cardinal Academy and gifted programs. Vice President Lindsey Peterson emphasized the classroom impact: "I can't imagine what our schools would look like without art, music, and PE," she said, linking the override to both program access and teachers' daily schedules.

Board action and administrative steps: A board member moved and the board unanimously adopted a resolution ordering the special election and declaring the deadline for submitting arguments for and against to the Maricopa County School Superintendent as August 7, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The resolution also approved the governing board's pro argument placement in the voter pamphlet. Mr. O'Brien noted the district will work with legal counsel to review factual public‑information statements and will prepare the board's pro statement within the county deadlines.

Next steps: The district will begin preparations for public information and legal review of proposed pamphlet language; staff said materials for employees and the public will be limited to factual statements while board members act collectively as the governing body. The resolution does not itself change any classroom programs — it only orders the election for voter consideration.