Douglas Unified board approves revision to FY2025-26 expenditure budget

The Douglas Unified School District Governing Board on a unanimous roll call approved a revision to the district's annual expenditure budget for fiscal year 2025'1. The board voted to adopt updated figures after staff said the budget must be built on the state's reported average daily membership and recent county property-tax numbers.

Board context: The revision was presented by district staff as a one-time update based on the state report of pupil counts and the county assessor's certified tax rate. Staff said the revised budget is based on state-reported counts and that the district does not expect to need another revision before December unless enrollment changes further.

Key figures and explanation: District staff told the board the revised budget used the state's reported counts (stated in the meeting as "03/6833" in the transcript) and that enrollment has declined compared with the year used to adopt the prior budget. Staff said the district adopted the 2024 budget on an enrollment figure of 3,478 students and that the current reported enrollment for the revision is about 3,380 students, a difference of roughly 100 students. Staff also told the board the county supervisors certified the property-tax rate on Aug. 21 and that it "went down to 4.1847, a difference of minus 0.2113," a change staff described as favorable for taxpayers.

Board discussion and priorities: Board members asked clarifying questions about the district's vacancy savings, the secondary tax rate and payoff on outstanding bonds, and whether security positions would be prioritized for hiring. Staff said positions remain frozen in many areas and that the administration is prioritizing required positions, including security, and will proceed to hire where necessary.

Vote and next steps: A board member moved to approve the budget revision and the motion was seconded. The board approved the revision by roll-call vote (members recorded as voting "Yes" during the meeting). Staff said the following monthly reports will reflect these updated figures and that the next more detailed revision would likely come in December if needed.

Why it matters: School budgets in Arizona are based largely on state-reported student counts and on property-tax rates; a decline in either can reduce district revenues and affect staffing and programs. The revision consolidates the district's current funding picture and sets the budgetary framework staff will use for hiring and expenditures through the coming months.