John and Natasha Karadsheh
As longtime residents and business owners in Mesa, we are strong supporters of economic growth, thoughtful development, and community building.
We believe that higher paying jobs, community amenities, and well-developed commercial and residential projects will drive up housing demand and, in turn, support home values for the entire community.
While proximity to restaurants, businesses and freeways can influence the decision of a buyer to purchase a home, the proximity to good quality schools is one of the most important factors when purchasing a home.
In fact, there are many studies that demonstrate that there is a direct correlation between school quality and property values. In 2017, the New York Times reported that, “within suburban neighborhoods, a 5 percent improvement in test scores can raise prices by 2.5 percent.” Another study by Realtor.com demonstrated that home values inside top-rated school districts were 49 percent higher than the national median home price.
School quality is also evaluated by corporations looking to move their businesses to our community. Our community’s long-term success and competitiveness in the marketplace is directly tied to our ability to sustain quality schools and generate an educated workforce.
Greatness does not come without investment and, next month, Mesa voters will be asked to once again support our Mesa schools. Why does our school district need to request funding? Currently, each district’s budget is set by a formula from the State of Arizona, and local districts can only go beyond that limited amount with permission from their voters.
Our Mesa public schools have had a budget override in place since 1995, with the voters most recently passing the override in 2014. In order to continue to receive funding, all districts, including the Mesa public schools, must return to the local voters for budget approval every five years.
Funding is necessary to retain and attract quality teachers, reduce class sizes, increase school security staffing, and work to prepare students for college and the workforce.
When you receive your ballot this month, please consider supporting the budget increase, and give our kids and community a fighting chance at success. A lack of support for this override will result in over 12 million dollars of district funding cuts per year — which will simply equate to a disaster for our kids and our community.
Thank you for your kind consideration of this important issue, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.
John and Natascha Karadsheh are co-owners of KOR Properties. John has been a Multi-Million Dollar producing agent for more than 17 years, and is an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR) and Certified Residential Specialist (CRS). Natascha is a graduate of Princeton University, and the Chairwoman of the City of Mesa Economic Development Advisory Board.
You can reach John at (602) 615-0843, and Natascha at (602) 909-4995, or visit their website at www.KORproperties.com.
KOR Properties is a boutique real estate brokerage serving the Valley of the Sun, and the creator and founding sponsor of Mesa Food Truck Fridays.