Ballot Math / School districts / Agua Fria Union
School board race and measure: Agua Fria Union High School District

Agua Fria Union: two incumbent educators and a write-in challenger, plus an override renewal

November 3, 2026 general election. Agua Fria Union High School District No. 216 serves Avondale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, and Buckeye area high school students. The board race has a wrinkle: one of the three candidates is a write-in, so his name will not appear on your ballot. The override renewal is Proposition 438.
How this race works: two of the board's five seats are up, both for four-year terms. Two incumbents are printed on the ballot. Ethan Canny is a certified write-in candidate: to vote for him you must write his name in and fill in the oval, and only votes for certified write-ins are counted. Vote for up to two candidates total.

Vickie Landis (incumbent)

More than 25 years in education, including 15 in the classroom, plus work as a coach, assistant principal, and director of curriculum and instruction.
  • Stated priorities: continuing to support the growth of career and technical education, and keeping student safety and academics the top priority. She says her experience as a parent and community member in the district informs her decisions.

Eric Cultum (incumbent)

More than 28 years in public education across teaching, coaching, and administrative positions; he also served on the City of Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission.
  • Stated priorities: in his current term he says he focused on student learning, strategic planning, fiscal responsibility, and eliminating school overcrowding.

Ethan Canny (write-in)

A write-in candidate with a background in health care private equity and a senior role in tax accounting. He runs an independent advisory practice and partners with local investors in an Arizona-focused private equity firm. The Maricopa County Libertarian Party endorsed him in September 2026.
  • Stated priorities: strict fiscal discipline, transparency, and parental choice, and ensuring local education dollars directly serve students and families.

Proposition 438: a 15 percent maintenance and operations override renewal

In one sentence: Agua Fria Union may keep exceeding its state operating budget limit by 15 percent of its revenue control limit for seven more years, raising an estimated $12,244,842 in the first year (fiscal 2027/28) at an estimated tax rate of $0.4173 per $100 of net assessed value, approximately the current rate.

An override pays for operations (salaries, class sizes, programs), not buildings. This is a renewal of an override already in effect. If it is not renewed, the authority phases down over its final years and then ends, and the operating budget falls by roughly the override amount.

The math for your household

About $108 a year for the average homeowner

That is the Arizona Republic's figure for the average Agua Fria homeowner. The district's rate math: $0.4173 per $100 of net assessed value is about $104 a year on a home with $25,000 of net assessed value (roughly a $250,000 market value home at the 10 percent residential assessment ratio). Because this is a renewal, a yes keeps roughly that amount in your tax bill; a no removes it gradually as the override phases down.

A YES vote

The 15 percent override continues for seven years at about the current tax rate.

A NO vote

The override phases down and expires, and the district cuts or absorbs about $12 million a year of operating budget.

The strongest case for YES

  • It is a renewal at the same rate. Supporters argue the district already budgets around this money, mainly for the people who teach, and a phase-down lands on classrooms first.
  • Growth district. The west Valley is adding students, and operating funding that tracks the state formula alone has not kept pace in fast growing districts, per override supporters generally.

The strongest case for NO

  • "No increase" still means keep paying. Without renewal, this amount comes off tax bills over the phase-down; a yes chooses to keep paying it for seven more years.
  • Renewal is a legitimate checkpoint. Override opponents generally argue that periodic renewal votes exist so districts show results for the extra money before it is extended.

Verification notes

  • School board campaigns file finance reports with Maricopa County. No raised or spent totals for these campaigns appeared in the coverage we reviewed; we print no totals rather than guess.
  • No organized local argument campaign for or against Prop 438 was identified in the sources reviewed beyond the district's informational pamphlet; the cases above are labeled with who makes them, and the general arguments are stated as general.
  • Canny's write-in status and his party endorsement are from the county certified list and the Maricopa County Libertarian Party's September 9, 2026 endorsement notice.

How to vote without getting your ballot rejected

  • Mail it by Tuesday, October 27, 2026. After that day, do not mail it: use a drop box or a vote center instead.
  • It must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. Postmarks do not count.
  • Sign and date the affidavit envelope, and write a current phone number on it.
  • For a write-in candidate, write the name clearly and fill in the oval. Only certified write-in candidates can receive countable votes.

Sources

Ballot Math: analysis only, no endorsements. Every candidate in this race got the same template: background, stated priorities, the record that exists, and honest notes where the record is thin.