SB 1436 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

school districts; bonds; overrides; ballots

SB 1436 requires Arizona school districts to hold voter-approved elections when proposed budgets exceed state budget limits. If a district's budget exceeds the allowed amount, the governing board must hold an election on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November, provide an alternate budget, and include specific financial details in an informational pamphlet mailed to households. The pamphlet must show the proposed budget increase, current and alternate budgets, tax impacts for different property types (like owner-occupied homes and businesses), and balanced arguments for and against the override, all prepared by the county school superintendent. This directly affects school districts seeking budget increases and voters deciding on local tax changes. The bill ensures voters receive factual, neutral information to make informed decisions on school funding.

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 28, 2026 Last action Mar 10, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Senate Engrossed Version (03/03/2026) · 5 edits · Mar 3, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Arizona's school finance laws to modernize ballot language for budget overrides and bond elections, ensuring voters are clearly informed about funding sources and future tax impacts. It introduces new specific thresholds for small school districts to request budget increases without elections and clarifies how capital improvement projects are funded and reported to the public.

Scope change

The bill expands the specific applicability of budget override rules to include detailed provisions for small school districts (under 154 or 176 students) and refines the procedural requirements for bond elections and capital improvement funding.

ELIGIBILITY

Added specific eligibility criteria and calculation formulas for small school districts (fewer than 154 or 176 students) to request budget increases without holding a public election.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced vague ballot language with specific, standardized statements that explicitly tell voters whether proposed budget increases are funded by taxes or other revenues, and clarify that these funds are not subject to state limitations.

Mandated that informational pamphlets for bond and override elections include detailed executive summaries of capital improvement plans and specific tax rate estimates for different property values.

Required annual public meetings for school districts with active budget overrides to report on the progress of funded capital projects and allow public comment.

TIMELINE

Established a 10-day review period for the Legislative Council to approve or reject proposed ballot language before elections are held.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors