Ballot Math / School districts / Balsz Elementary
Ballot measures: Balsz Elementary School District (board race cancelled)

Balsz Elementary: a capital override renewal and the sale of the Orangedale site

November 3, 2026 general election. Balsz Elementary School District No. 31 serves east Phoenix. There is no Balsz board race on your ballot: the two open seats drew two write-in candidates, Claudia Kline and Ray Michaels, so that election was cancelled and both are appointed as if elected. The district's two November questions are styled Question 1 and Question 2.
Question 1 in brief: renew the District Additional Assistance override, the capital budget override, at the lesser of $1,400,000 or 10 percent of the revenue control limit per year, for up to seven years. Question 2 in brief: permission to sell, lease, or exchange the Orangedale site in Phoenix. Details and the tax math for each are below.

Question 1: the DAA override renewal

In one sentence: Balsz Elementary may keep exceeding its district additional assistance budget by the lesser of $1,400,000 or 10 percent of its revenue control limit per year, for up to seven more years, funding capital items such as buses, technology, and building needs.

This is a renewal of authority already in effect. If it is not renewed, it phases down over its final years and ends.

The math for your household, with a discrepancy flagged

The district's own documents give two different first year rates

A district board certificate states an estimated first year tax rate of $1.34 per $100 of net assessed value, while the district's 2026 election notices page states $0.3339 per $100. Those differ by a factor of four and cannot both be right. At $0.3339, the override would cost about $83 a year on a home with $25,000 of net assessed value (roughly a $250,000 market value home); at $1.34 it would be about $335. The lesser-of dollar amount, $1,400,000 or 10 percent, is consistent across sources; the rate is not. We report the discrepancy instead of picking one, and the pamphlet mailed to your household is the document to trust.

A YES vote (Question 1)

The DAA override continues for up to seven years at up to the lesser-of amount.

A NO vote (Question 1)

The override phases down and expires, and capital purchases are cut, deferred, or paid from other funds.

The strongest case for YES

  • Capital needs continue. Supporters argue a small district's buses and building systems age on schedule, and this renewal preserves the funding stream built for exactly that.

The strongest case for NO

  • The paperwork should agree with itself. Opponents can fairly note that a district whose official documents state two rates a factor of four apart has not earned a presumption of precision, and a no sends it back to publish one correct number.

Question 2: sell, lease, or exchange the Orangedale site

Question 2 asks permission to sell, lease, or exchange the Orangedale site, at 5048 E. Oak Street and 5110 E. Oak Street, Phoenix, about 9.66 acres (Assessor's Parcel Numbers 126-16-002C, 126-16-011C, 126-16-011D, and 126-16-066). Proceeds would go to school sites, buildings, vehicles, and other permitted capital spending. A yes grants authority only: no buyer, no price, and no deadline is named, and any deal still needs governing board action. A no keeps the property in district hands unless the district asks again. Site sale questions carry no direct tax impact.

Verification notes

  • The rate discrepancy above is between two district documents (a board certificate and the district's election notices page), both linked below. The official pamphlet figure should govern; we could not resolve which document is wrong from the sources reviewed.
  • The cancelled board race detail is from the county superintendent's certified list and the Republic's August 21, 2026 cancellation account.

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.
  • Leaving any item blank is allowed. Question 1 and Question 2 are separate items; answer either, both, or none.

Sources

Ballot Math: analysis only, no endorsements. Figures above are the district's, from its official documents; where those documents disagree, we say so.