Yuma voters rejected the Crane Elementary School District's District Additional Assistance (DAA) override request this month.
While voters previously approved an override which expires at the end of this fiscal year, this election was a request to renew it for another seven years. Not to be confused with bonds, overrides enable school districts to levy a tax for additional funding.
In Crane's case, the DAA override would've provided an additional $1.5 million per year for school security, technology and transportation needs. These needs are essentially capital needs that can't be purchased by the district's regular capital budget and aren't included in its current bond program.
Roughly 23,500 voters cast ballots in the all-mail election, rejecting the override by 214 votes.
The result breaks the district’s pattern of voter support for capital funding measures. Prior to 2025, Crane passed each of its bond and override elections in 2014, 2018 and 2023.
KAWC reached out to Crane CFO Dale Ponder to inquire why the results might’ve deviated from expectations.
He expressed there were several potential factors likely at play, which largely boil down to uncertainty and a weakening sense of connection among some residents.
Expanding school choice options, for example, may mean more families within Crane’s boundaries are enrolling elsewhere, leaving them feeling less connected to the district.
“We are also mindful of demographic and economic changes within our community,” Ponder said. “Favorable home interest rates and housing market conditions in recent years have contributed to longer homeownership, resulting in a maturing community with fewer school-aged children and, consequently, fewer residents with direct ties to our schools.”
Ponder also noted that ballots were distributed at the same time as the federal government shutdown. Families whose income or benefits were affected may have been feeling extra uncertainty.
More generally, rising costs in housing, utilities, fuel and other daily expenses may have influenced whether voters felt able or willing to support the override.
Lastly, Ponder pointed to inadequacies in the state’s capital funding system. He said those gaps have shifted more cost to local taxpayers and contributed to rising property-tax rates — a trend that may have made voters less willing to back the 2025 override.
“While we are certainly disappointed that the renewal of our capital override was not successful, we remain committed to transparency and to being responsible stewards of district resources,” he said. “We also sincerely appreciate the community for the support and engagement they have shown over the past several years.”
Ponder said the district will continue assessing which capital needs can be addressed with the current forecasted budget. Some projects may be deferred, scaled back or pursued through alternative funding sources.
“Our priority remains ensuring that students learn in safe, well-maintained environments, even as we navigate this fiscal challenge,” he said. “Again, we are grateful to our community for their ongoing engagement and will continue to communicate openly as we determine the most appropriate path forward.”
Reporting for this article is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
