TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Unified School District property owners are seeing a new charge on their tax bills this year following voter approval of a maintenance and operations budget override in 2025.
The override, Proposition 414, passed with 43,627 votes in favor and 34,037 against, according to Pima County’s unofficial election results. It marked the first time in more than 40 years that TUSD voters approved an M&O override.
The seven-year override took effect July 1, 2026, and is expected to provide TUSD with about $45 million in additional funding each year.
“What it does is it allows the school district to be able to increase the budget that we get to spend above the state’s limit,” said TUSD Chief Financial Officer Ricky Hernandez.
That additional spending authority is funded through a secondary property tax on taxable property within the district.
For homeowners, TUSD estimates the override tax rate at 98 cents for every $100 of net assessed value.
“So basically, if you look at it, it’s for every $100,000 of your home’s value, you’re paying about $98,” Hernandez said.
The actual amount on an individual tax bill depends on the property’s assessed value, according to TUSD.
The district said the override money will be used for teacher salary increases, additional math and reading intervention teachers, physical education teachers, counselors and social workers, as well as expanded fine arts and career and technical education programs. Funding also is designated for preschool tuition scholarships, high school credit recovery and efforts to improve attendance.
For Hernandez, the new tax has already generated questions from property owners.
“These are all the phone calls I received over the last three or four days that need a call back,” he said.
The district says some of the programs funded through the override already are visible on campuses.
“They’re seeing more counselors on campuses,” Hernandez said. “Our high schoolers are seeing more social workers. Fourteen of our schools are being more fine arts teachers. So these impacts are already in there.”
Arizona law allows school districts to seek voter approval to increase their maintenance and operations budgets beyond the state-set revenue limit. M&O overrides can provide additional funding for ongoing operations and programs, rather than capital construction projects typically financed through bonds.
TUSD’s 2025 override was structured as a 15% M&O override and was approved for seven years. The district says it will review the override amount annually as part of its budget process.
The current authorization runs through June 30, 2033. After that, TUSD would need voter approval to continue the override beyond its authorized period.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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