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

Riverside Elementary: an $85 million bond built to avoid a rate increase, plus a capital override

November 3, 2026 general election. Riverside Elementary School District No. 2 serves south Phoenix. There is no Riverside board race on your ballot: the two open seats drew exactly two certified candidates, Martin Martinez and Joyce Luckie, so that election was cancelled and both are appointed as if elected. The district's two November questions are a bond and a district additional assistance override continuation.
In one sentence: Riverside Elementary may borrow $85,000,000 for construction, renovation, safety and security, technology, and transportation, structured to avoid an increase in the district's tax rate, and may continue its district additional assistance override at $850,000 a year.

The "structured to avoid an increase" design works the way Gilbert's and Scottsdale's do: new bonds are sold as old bonds retire, so the levy roughly stays put instead of falling. A support committee, Yes for Riverside, is campaigning for both questions.

The math for your household

The sales pitch is a flat rate; the cost is the decrease you do not get

None of the sources we reviewed publishes a district estimated rate or per-household dollar figure for the Riverside bond, so we print the structure rather than a number. The reading that matters: without the bond, the district's secondary tax rate would step down as existing debt retires; with it, you keep paying roughly the current rate for the new program. The DAA continuation, $850,000 a year, is small against the district's budget but is a separate tax decision on the same ballot.

A YES vote (bond)

The district may sell up to $85 million in bonds for the construction and renovation program.

A NO vote (bond)

No new borrowing; the program is cut, deferred, or re-asked, and the bond rate falls as old debt retires.

A YES vote (DAA override)

The $850,000 a year capital override continues.

A NO vote (DAA override)

The override phases down and ends, and capital purchases fall by that amount.

The strongest case for YES

  • Old buildings, growing south Phoenix. Supporters argue Riverside's campuses need the renovation and safety work now, and structuring the sales against retiring debt is the responsible way to pay for it.

The strongest case for NO

  • "No rate increase" still spends $85 million plus interest. Opponents note the total repayment is what taxpayers ultimately fund, and a district asking for both a bond and an override in one cycle should expect scrutiny of each list separately.

Verification notes

  • The $850,000 DAA figure comes from the pamphlet's argument text; the ballot language's lesser-of cap and the estimated rate were not captured in the sources we reviewed, and the ballot text governs.
  • No proposition numbers for the Riverside questions were found in the sources we checked.
  • 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. The bond and the override are separate items; answer either, both, or none.

Sources

Ballot Math: analysis only, no endorsements. Figures above are the district's, from its official pamphlet; figures we could not verify are labeled as such.