Voter guide: Education questions on 2026 Pima County ballots
Eight K-12 school-related questions will appear on your 2026 general election ballot, including questions for Pima County residents in the Amphitheater, Sahuarita, Tanque Verde, Vail and JTED school districts to decide whether to fund schools.
No Pima County school-related proposition has any official arguments against it, the Pima County Schools Superintendent’s Office told Arizona Luminaria.
Three statewide education-related questions will also be on the ballot: Leading the way is Proposition 320, asking to mandate that 60% of large-school district budgets be allocated for direct classroom expenses like teacher salaries. (More on that and Propositions 318 and 142 below.)
What’s not on the ballot is also noteworthy: Proposition 212, which would have added guardrails for Arizona’s school voucher program was struck down in court in August. Two other education-related propositions initiated by Arizona Republicans were also eliminated by the courts last summer: One that would have shielded the Empowerment Scholarship Account program from the guardrails in Prop. 212 and another that would have greatly limited labor unions.
What are bonds and overrides?
Overrides and bonds each affect property taxes . But overrides pay for people — teachers, staff, new programs, etc. — and are not paid back. Bonds are loans and pay for capital expenses — building renovations, new construction, security systems, etc. — and are paid back over time with interest.
When voters approve a budget override, they’re agreeing to pay higher property taxes so schools have more money to spend than they would under the state’s regular school budgeting formula. Almost all school districts in Pima County currently have an override in place, some for decades, while others have gone to voters for more money and been denied.
Voting FAQs
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Key dates
Oct. 23 – Last day to request a mail-in ballot
Oct. 27 – Recommended deadline to mail back your ballot
Nov. 3 – Election Day
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Pima County Recorder’s Office
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Voting locations list and places to drop off your ballot
The override and bond questions each involve a yes-or-no answer. To help make your decision, Arizona Luminaria breaks it down:
What is Prop. 320?
This statewide proposition originated with Republicans in the Arizona Legislature and says 60% of large school district budgets must be allocated for direct classroom expenses like teacher salaries. Those expenses will be defined by the Arizona Auditor General’s office.
Supporters of Proposition 320 say teachers would get a salary bump that could address Arizona’s teacher shortage. The money will support classrooms and not be directed to administrative overhead, they say.
Opponents argue the proposition mandates district spending without defining which expenses go toward it and that some districts that do not meet the 60% threshold will be punished and could lose state funds. If a district cannot get to 60%, then it must raise its instructional expenses by at least .5% a year until it meets 60%. This could force cuts to services like school safety, nurses, counselors and buses, opponents say.
The proposition defines large school districts as those with 7,500 students or located in a county of 500,000 or more. Of the 236 public school districts statewide, nearly 40 meet those requirements. However, most of Arizona’s just over 1 million students attend a school in one of almost 40 districts.
The proposition does not apply to private schools or public charter schools.
Find out if Prop. 320 applies to your district.
A Yes vote: Says school districts with more than 7,500 students or located in counties with more than 500,000 residents are required to spend at least 60% of their budgets on “direct instructional expenses” as decided by the Arizona Auditor General’s office.
A No vote: Would not require certain districts to spend 60% of their budgets on “direct instructional expenses.”
37
Arizona school districts affected by Prop. 320
1 million
Number of Arizona public school students
4,000
Number of teacher vacancies in Arizona
Learn more: Full proposition text
What is Prop. 318?
This amends state law, expanding the statute banning transgender students from playing on single-gender K-12 or college teams that correspond with their identity. It requires teams to be comprised of athletes based on their biological birth certificate starting in 2027. This proposition also expands current law to bar schools and athletic groups from letting transgender students use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
A Yes vote: Prohibits schools and athletic groups from letting an athlete, student or employee from using a locker room, bathroom or private space that is not designated for the sex they were assigned at birth. Removes a provision that allows any athlete to participate in a school, athletic team or sport designated for males.
A No vote: Does not restrict access to bathrooms, locker rooms or facilities, allows females to participate on male-designated teams, prohibits schools from opening sports teams designed for females to any student.
29
Sports offered by the Arizona Interscholastic Association , the governing body of high school sports
264
Member schools in the Arizona Interscholastic Association
1 million
Number of high school football players nationwide
Learn more: Full proposition text
What is Prop. 142?
It amends the Arizona Constitution to expand on existing affirmative action bans. Public institutions like schools would be barred from requiring diversity, equity and inclusion training or allowing public funds to support DEI. It would prevent schools and government entities from forcing students and employees to support preferential treatment on the basis of race.
A Yes vote: Supports amending the Arizona Constitution.
A No vote: Opposes amending the Arizona Constitution.
Learn more: Full proposition text
What is Prop. 423?
This extends Vail Unified School District’s current 12.5% override and does not include a tax rate increase. The maintenance and operations override, which has been used in the district since 1993, helps pay for music, art, P.E., gifted and advanced courses and 20% of teachers throughout the district.
A Yes vote: Would approve continuing the override for at least another five years.
A No vote: Would oppose the continuation.
14,000
Number of Vail district students, making it the second-largest school district in Southern Arizona.
Learn more: Full proposition text , District website
What is Prop. 426?
Amphitheater Public Schools is asking voters to approve the sale or long-term lease of six sites as it attempts to right-size the shrinking district. Amphi closed four elementary schools last spring and has a five-year lease at one of them. It would like to sell, or lease, the other buildings in both Tucson and Oro Valley. Money made on sale or long-term leases could be used for other school sites, construction, transportation or other capital expenses, according to the Amphi website.
A Yes vote: Gives the district authority to sell or agree to a long-term lease of its land and buildings.
A No vote: Prevents Amphi from making any long-term sales or leases, leaving the district responsible for the buildings.
10,000
Amphi’s current enrollment
19,000
Amphi district student capacity last year
133
Age of Amphi district
Learn more: Full proposition text , district website
What is Prop. 427?
The $250 million bond for the Pima Joint Technical Education District would fund an expansion of programs available to students across Southern Arizona. Expansion includes building and renovations, buying land, furniture and technical equipment.
A Yes vote: Supports issuing $250 million in bonds to fund the construction and renovation of buildings, the purchase of land and the improvement of school grounds. This means raising Pima County property taxes by $41 a year on a $250,000 home over 15 years.
A No vote: Rejects selling bonds for these projects. Keeps property taxes as they are.
600-800
Approximate students on JTED waitlist
19
JTED age
30,000
Number of Southern Arizona students enrolled in JTED programs
Learn more: Story here , full proposition text , district website
What is Prop. 428?
This extends Sahuarita Unified School District’s current 15% override and does not include a tax rate increase. A district taxpayer currently pays about $23 a month on a home with a current average assessed value of $210,790. The maintenance and operations override helps pay for counselors and support staff, athletics and fine arts and security throughout the district.
A Yes vote: Would approve continuing the override for at least another five years.
A No vote: Would oppose the continuation.
11
Schools in Sahuarita Unified School District
Learn more: Full proposition text , district website
What is Prop. 429?
This extends Tanque Verde Unified School District’s current 15% override and does not include a tax rate increase. A district taxpayer currently pays about $88 for every $100,000 of net assessed property tax valuation. The maintenance and operations override helps pay for teacher salaries, school nurses, smaller class sizes, P.E., libraries and career and technical education. It would generate about $2.3 million in the 2027-28 fiscal year, the district says.
A Yes vote: Would approve continuing the override for at least another five years.
A No vote: Would oppose the continuation.
6
Schools in the Tanque Verde Unified School District
Learn more: Full proposition text , district website
The post Voter guide: Education questions on 2026 Pima County ballots appeared first on AZ Luminaria .
