Maricopa County residents will vote on a ballot initiative to grant the Agua Fria Union High School District a $138 million bond measure this November, as the district mounts efforts to strengthen post-education employment across its five campuses.

The district’s governing board approved in June the ballot initiative to implement a bond that would fund building restorations and workplace development programs. The bond will support the Academies, a sweeping 10-year plan meant to counter a declining trend in workforce participation.

The bond will also provide funding for building improvements, including assessing and repairing central plant systems and installing sound-resistant materials at Canyon View. Agua Fria, constructed in 1928 as Litchfield Park High School, has struggled with aging equipment in recent years.

The latest initiative follows Agua Fria Union’s long-standing reliance on bond and override elections to fund district operations and facility improvements. Last year, voters allocated $197 million in one of the district’s largest funding increases, following years of unsuccessful initiatives.

Though bonds and overrides are often used to fund critical needs projects such as building maintenance, they have also financially permitted the district’s community-driven initiatives, including the construction of a sixth high school in Goodyear. The proposed bond is not expected to incur an increase in secondary property tax rates.