Fountain Hills registered voters will be receiving election ballots in the mail starting Oct. 11. There will be only two issues on the ballot.

I urge voters to vote “yes” on the school district’s Maintenance and Operations budget override issue. This override will allow a continuation of funding over the next seven years for our current all-day kindergarten program and will allow an increase in teacher and staff compensation.

Our public schools in Fountain Hills have been ranked in the top 10 percent in Arizona. Yet, we are not paying our teachers as much as several other districts in Maricopa County. If we value the children in our community, we certainly want to maintain high academic standards. And we certainly want to continue our district’s outstanding music, art and athletic programs. If we value our teachers, then we need to provide them with competitive wages.

For a small annual increase ($3 per $100,000 assessed value) in the property tax that we are already paying, we will prove that our community supports high education standards for our children and believes in fair salaries for their dedicated teachers.

Please vote yes on the school M&O budget override and return your ballot, either by mail or by dropping it off at the designated ballot center on Tuesday, Nov. 7.