Tucson Voters Will Decide on School Property Sales
Proposition 426 asks Tucson residents to authorize the sale of six district-owned properties on November 3.
Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Administration
Live Poll
Should your local school district have the power to sell closed school properties to voters?
Amphitheater Public Schools has placed Proposition 426 on the November 3, 2026, ballot to seek voter approval for the sale of six district properties. This measure arrives as the district aims to divest from sites that have been closed due to declining enrollment.
Why it matters
The district currently bears the ongoing financial burden of maintaining these vacant properties, including costs for cooling, security systems, and landscaping. Approval of this measure would allow the district to shed these liabilities and remove them from the public portfolio.
The ballot includes six district-owned properties, among them four former elementary schools that closed over the past two years. The district continues to fund climate control and alarm monitoring at these locations, despite one site, Holloway Elementary, only being partially used.
The players
Amphitheater Public Schools
A Tucson-area school district responsible for managing local educational facilities and administrative real estate assets.
The details
Under Arizona state law, public school districts are required to secure voter authorization before liquidating real estate assets. Amphitheater Public Schools initiated this process to offset maintenance costs like irrigation, HVAC, and alarm upkeep that continue while the buildings sit empty. While Holloway Elementary currently hosts a church group on Sundays, the district seeks to permanently sell these sites to eliminate ongoing overhead.
Timeline
Copper Creek Elementary closed in 2025.
Four additional school sites were closed in 2026.
Voters will decide on Proposition 426 on November 3, 2026.
The Home Front
This move follows standard procedures set by Arizona school district property disposal statutes regarding the liquidation of public assets. It marks a shift for the district as it attempts to rationalize its real estate portfolio in response to demographic changes and declining enrollment.
Tucson residents should review the ballot language for Proposition 426 before the November 3 election to understand the specific properties involved. Property owners in neighborhoods affected by these site closures, such as those near Copper Creek, should track the outcome to see how potential future redevelopment may impact their area.
The takeaway
The district is attempting to cut costs associated with vacant school buildings by seeking voter approval to sell six sites. Residents should consider how the potential redevelopment of these properties could reshape their local neighborhood character.
Further reading
For more information on how local districts manage facility assets, visit Administration.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kold.
Live Poll
Should your local school district have the power to sell closed school properties to voters?
