Election Information

What is an Override Election?

Types of Elections School Districts Call

There are three types of elections districts sometimes hold. They are:

1. Bond Election – Districts use funds from voter-approved bond elections for projects that have a useful lifespan greater than five years. A bond is a loan the district receives from individuals who purchase the bonds. Our district bond rating is A+. Money generated from a bond election can only be spent on buildings and grounds, school furniture, equipment, technology and transportation vehicles. It cannot be spent on salaries.
2. Maintenance & Operations Override – To continue existing programs and services, school districts call for Maintenance & Operations Overrides. M&O Overrides work to continue to provide student support services, recruiting and retaining qualified education professionals and delivering high-quality curriculum and instruction.
3. Capital Overrides – To continue preventative maintenance on buildings and systems, purchase curricular resources and replace aging technology, school districts call for Capital Overrides. Capital Overrides help districts provide funding for technology devices, curricular software and applications, curricular materials and system software.

Spending Examples

Here are simple examples of how school districts can spend dollars:

• Maintenance & Operations (M&O) – Funds from Maintenance & Override are used for running the schools and funding employee salaries and benefits, purchasing classroom supplies and providing transportation.
• Capital – Capital funds are used to build and equip schools, repair and upgrade existing buildings, purchase school buses and purchase technology.
  
  

Hopefully, those examples and descriptions of school finance are helpful. As is often said, “As the schools go, so goes the community.”