depending upon election results, arizona district may see new school construction and upgrades

Renovations and upgrades to a number of different school buildings may be underway next year if voters approve a $125 million bond in one of the fastest growing school districts in southern Arizona.

That bond question, which will appear on the November ballot, is being proposed by the Peoria Unified School District. That district, with an enrollment of more than 37,000 students, serves the cities of Glendale and Peoria.

According to school officials, the majority of the more than 40 school buildings in the district date back to at least the early 1990s and are in need of plumbing and heating and cooling system updates, as well as new roofing.

Some $55 million will specifically target renovations and upgrades to the district’s 34 elementary schools.

Meanwhile, just over $36 million will go for technology and safety upgrades, along with grounds improvement work, at the district’s eight high schools. A portion of that $36 million will also be applied to the purchase of land for the future building of a new high school.

The $125 million Peoria district bond is more modest than other recent proposals.
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A similar bond for $180 million was approved in 2012. But four years later, in the 2016 election, a larger $198 million bond was rejected by district voters. 

​By Garry Boulard

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