Litchfield Elementary: Proposition 437 renews the 15 percent override

November 3, 2026 general election. There is no Litchfield Elementary board race on your ballot: the two open seats drew exactly two certified candidates, Eddie James and Ryan Owens, so that election was cancelled and both are appointed as if elected. Proposition 437 is the district's only November question.

In one sentence: Litchfield Elementary may keep exceeding its state operating budget limit by 15 percent, a continuation of its existing maintenance and operations override.

The override funds operations, meaning salaries, class sizes, and programs, rather than buildings. It is a renewal: the district's chief financial officer has described Prop 437 publicly as a continuation, and the neighboring Agua Fria district's official pamphlet names Proposition 437 as Litchfield's override question. If a renewal fails, the existing authority phases down over its final years and then ends, and the operating budget falls by the override amount.

The math for your household

The first year dollar amount and estimated rate were not verified

The continuation itself and the 15 percent are confirmed from two independent sources, but Litchfield's district pamphlet figures (the first year dollar total and the estimated tax rate per $100 of assessed value) were not captured in the sources available to us. For a continuation, the practical household math is stability: a yes keeps the override portion of your current Litchfield Elementary tax bill in place for the next cycle; a no removes it gradually as the override phases down. The pamphlet mailed to district households carries the district's exact figures, and it is the document of record.

A YES vote

The 15 percent override continues, funding the operating budget the district has built around it.

A NO vote

The override phases down and expires, and the district cuts or absorbs the override amount from operations.

The strongest case for YES

Renewal, not expansion. Supporters argue the district, in one of the faster growing parts of the west Valley, already staffs to this budget; a phase-down lands on classrooms in a district still adding students.

The strongest case for NO

Growth should pay its own way. Opponents generally argue that fast growing districts gain tax base every year, so renewals should shrink as a share of the budget rather than roll forward automatically, and the vote is the place to test that.

Verification notes

Proposition number 437 is confirmed in the Agua Fria Union pamphlet's arguments, an official county-hosted document that names neighboring districts' measures, and the continuation characterization is from the district CFO's reported statements.
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. It does not affect the rest of your ballot.

Sources

Agua Fria informational pamphlet (names Proposition 437): schoolsup.org (PDF)
Maricopa County School Superintendent, bond and override elections list: schoolsup.org
Certified candidates and cancelled elections: schoolsup.org (PDF)
Arizona Republic, August 21, 2026, on cancelled school board elections: azcentral.com