Ballot Math / School districts / Washington Elementary
Ballot measure: Washington Elementary School District (board race cancelled)

Washington Elementary: an override is on your ballot; its terms are in the pamphlet, not the coverage

November 3, 2026 general election. Washington Elementary School District No. 6 is one of Phoenix's largest elementary districts. There is no Washington Elementary board race on your ballot: the two open seats drew exactly two certified candidates, Kyle Clayton and Roxanne Smith, so that election was cancelled and both are appointed as if elected. The district has a maintenance and operations override question in November 2026.
In one sentence: Washington Elementary has an M&O override on the November 2026 ballot, confirmed by the County School Superintendent's official measures list and by Save Our Schools Arizona's voter guide, but the percentage, first year dollar amount, and estimated tax rate could not be verified from district documents available to us, so this page reports the question's existence and points to the pamphlet rather than guessing its terms.

What an M&O override does, in general: it lets a district exceed the state-set operating budget limit by a set percentage, funded by a secondary property tax, for salaries, class sizes, and programs. Districts renew them because a failed renewal phases the money down over the final years of the old authority. Washington Elementary's existing override has historically been 15 percent, but we could not confirm from a district source that the 2026 question continues that exact percentage, so we do not print it as the ask.

The math for your household

Not verified: use the pamphlet's rate table

The district's informational pamphlet, mailed to district households, contains its estimated first year tax rate per $100 of net assessed value and the dollar total. Multiply that rate by your home's net assessed value (on your county tax statement) divided by 100 to get your annual cost. Every other district page on this site prints a household figure because we could verify the rate; this one could not be verified, and an estimated figure here would be a guess dressed as math.

A YES vote

The override is approved for its stated term, funding the operating budget at the level on the ballot.

A NO vote

If this is a renewal, the existing override phases down and expires, and the operating budget falls by that amount over the phase-down years.

The strongest case for YES

  • Operating money is classroom money. Supporters of overrides in large elementary districts argue the override funds teachers and support staff directly, and losing it mid-decade forces class size increases.

The strongest case for NO

  • Visibility is part of accountability. Opponents can fairly note that a major district's renewal should be easy to research; if the terms are hard to find, that itself is information about how the ask is being run.

Verification notes

  • The override's existence is confirmed by two independent sources (the superintendent's bond and override elections page and Save Our Schools Arizona's 2026 guide). Its terms were not found in district pamphlet documents available during our research.
  • 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

Ballot Math: analysis only, no endorsements. A page that admits what it could not verify is doing its job; the district pamphlet is the document of record for this question.