- Mesa Taxpayers
Pay Lower School Taxes. The MPS tax rate is $5.43 per $100 of
assessed valuation. This is below the average rate for the other
east valley districts of $5.65. The difference is primarily due to
MPS's control over capital expenses such as building costs since
MPS spends all it can on operational expenses. Clearly the nationally
recognized education offered by MPS is a good value for the dollar.
| Tempe Elementary |
$6.32 |
| Kyrene Elementary |
$6.00 |
| Higley Unified |
$5.90 |
| Apache Junction Unified |
$5.85 |
| Queen Creek Unified |
$5.54 |
| Mesa Unified |
$5.43 |
| Chandler Unified |
$5.16 |
| Gilbert Unified |
$4.97 |
Average of East Valley Districts |
$5.65 |
- Most MPS Dollars
(Maintenance and Operations) Come From State and Local Sources.
Most of the school funding comes from local and state taxes. In Mesa,
33 percent comes from local taxes/sources, 51 percent from state
funds, 76 percent from federal support, and the remaining 9 percent
from other funds.
| Local Taxes/Sources |
33 percent |
| State Funds |
51 percent |
| Federal
Support |
7 percent |
| Other Funds |
9 percent |
- MPS Has Below
Average Taxable Wealth. Contrary to what many people believe,
MPS is significantly below the state average in the amount of "taxable
wealth" or assessed valuation per pupil. In the East Valley, Chandler,
Scottsdale, Kyrene, Tempe Elementary, and Tempe Union all have more "wealth" per
pupil than MPS.
- MPS Has Grown
Significantly. Over the past 25 years the student population
has more than doubled from 35,224 in 1979-80 to 74,851 in 2005-06.
This increase is bigger than the total student population of
every other district and county total in the state but one. Now most of the area for new housing has been built, so instead of fast growth we anticipate fluctuations as neighborhoods age and the new homeowners with children replace long--term homeowners.
School Year |
Enrollment |
| 1979-1980 |
35,244 |
| 1982-1983 |
38,968 |
| 1987-1988 |
59,895 |
| 1992-1993 |
63,065 |
| 1996-1997 |
66,342 |
| 2000-2001 |
73,738 |
| 2001-2002 |
74,507 |
| 2002-2003 |
74,737 |
| 2003-2004 |
74,831 |
| 2004-2005 |
74,916 |
| 2005-2006 |
74,851 |
| 2006-2007 |
74,039 |
| 2006-2008 |
72,523 |
- MPS Spends Less
Than Average to Educate Each Child. MPS spends $4,787 per student,
well below the state median of $5,319. This is the maximum that MPS
can spend under state funding.
- Mesa Spends More Money in the Classroom than Most. The Arizona Auditor General annually reports on the percent of dollars spent in the classroom. Mesa is always ranked among the top districts in the amount of money directly spent in the classroom.
- MPS Employs
Many People. In the 2007-08 school year MPS employs 9,919
full and part-time staff -- 4,535 educators and approximately 5,384
support
staffers. Support staff includes teacher aides, bus drivers,
secretaries, crossing guards, cafeteria workers, maintenance
staff, custodians,
superintendents, and central office staff in such areas as accounts
payable, information systems, and special education. Although
they are called support staff, the schools could not operate
without the
help of these people.
- MPS Has Been
Recognized for the Quality of its Financial Reports. For the
21st year in a row, MPS has received national awards for financial
reporting from the Association of School Business Officials International.
In addition, the district earned its 20th annual Certificate of Achievement
for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the national Government
Finance Officers' Association.
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