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Cave Creek board reviews budget update; approves monthly financial reports and revised pay ranges
Summary
At the Jan. 28 meeting the board received a fiscal update showing constrained maintenance & operations and capital capacity, approved the monthly financial report, and approved revised substitute and classified support pay ranges tied to minimum wage changes and district staffing priorities.
The Cave Creek Unified School District governing board on Jan. 28 reviewed a fiscal update that showed limited remaining capacity in both maintenance & operations and capital funds, and approved several finance and human‑resources items on the consent agenda.
Doctor Plutnik, presenting the fiscal update, told trustees the district’s M&O capacity on the December report was roughly $34.5 million after adjustments and carry‑forwards, and that remaining spendable M&O for the school year was approximately $2.2 million. He said capital capacity showed roughly $942,000 remaining after encumbrances. Plutnik and other staff described steps taken this year to reduce costs, including leaving some vacancies open, reorganizing departments, contracting where necessary, and reducing software and vendor overages.
The governing board approved the monthly financial reports as presented (action item motion recommended by administration). The board also approved a motion to take no action on the monthly enrollment report (information only).
On personnel and pay items, the board approved agenda item 5.10 to adopt revised substitute rates for 2024–25 and item 5.11 to adopt a revised classified support staff salary range. Administration said the substitute budget is monitored for trends and that districts typically allocate between 10 and 12 leave days for teachers; board members discussed whether substitute budgeting could be a future target for cost controls. The classified support changes reflected recent increases in Arizona minimum wage and limited adjustments to prevent pay compression within salary bands.
During discussion, board members asked for clearer modeling of substitute usage across months and for more detail on which district office positions would be adjusted as part of broader “rightsizing” conversations. Administration said the substitute budget does not have a fixed cap because employees are entitled to allotted leave days and that any future changes would involve negotiations.
Ending: Trustees approved the financial and HR items and asked administration for further breakdowns of substitute‑usage modeling and more detailed, line‑by‑line budget materials for future consideration.
