Nonpartisan voter education
azschoolbonds.org
The Voter Education Toolkit is a free resource that helps you understand school bond elections in Arizona. School bonds are one of the most common items on your ballot, but they are also one of the most confusing. The language is technical, the numbers are big, and the explanations are hard to find.
This site was built to change that. Here, you will find clear, plain-language explanations of how school bonds work, what they pay for, how they affect your taxes, and what the data looks like for three of the largest school districts in Maricopa County: Chandler Unified School District, Mesa Unified School District, and Peoria Unified School District.
The Voter Education Toolkit has two main parts:
1. eLearning Course. Short, interactive lessons that walk you through the basics of school bonds. You will learn what a bond is, how it gets on the ballot, how the money is raised and repaid, how bonds affect your property taxes, and how to read the bond question on your ballot. The course takes about 15 minutes.
2. District Profiles. A data dashboard for each of the three districts covered in this toolkit. Each profile shows you enrollment trends, bond election history, campaign finance data, basic financial health indicators, academic achievement data, and facilities information. Everything is presented in plain language with simple charts.
You will also find:
- A Glossary that defines every technical term used on this site in everyday language.
- A Common Misconceptions module within the eLearning Course that addresses the most frequent misunderstandings about school bonds.
This toolkit is for any voter in the Chandler, Mesa, or Peoria school district areas who wants to better understand school bonds before casting a vote. You do not need any background in finance, education policy, or government. Everything on this site is written to be understood by anyone.
Whether you generally support school bonds, generally oppose them, or are still deciding, this toolkit is designed to meet you where you are and give you the information you need to feel confident about your choice.
Recommended path (about 20 to 30 minutes total):
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Step 1: Take the Pre-Knowledge Quiz to see what you already know about school bonds. It takes about 3 minutes and gives you instant feedback.
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Step 2: Go through the eLearning Course modules. You can do them in order or jump to the topics that interest you most.
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Step 3: Visit the District Profile for your area to see local data on bond elections, finances, and school performance.
You can also browse freely. Every section is accessible from the navigation menu, and you are welcome to explore in any order that works for you.
This toolkit was built to inform, not to persuade. It does not advocate for or against any school bond measure, any school district, or any political position. All data presented here comes from publicly available government sources and is provided without editorial commentary. This site does not tell you how to vote. It does not support or oppose any bond measure. It gives you the facts so you can make your own informed decision.
The Voter Education Toolkit was created by Arman Sidhu, a doctoral candidate in the Leadership and Innovation program at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. The toolkit is the primary innovation in a dissertation study examining how voter education affects understanding and confidence in school bond elections.
This site is part of a research study that has been reviewed by the ASU Institutional Review Board. Participating in the research study (which involves completing surveys and possibly an interview) is entirely separate from using this website. You can use the toolkit without being part of the study.
If you have questions about this project or would like to participate in the research study, please visit the About page for contact information.