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Sunnyside Unified board approves FY25–26 proposed annual expenditure budget
Summary
The Sunnyside Unified Governing Board approved the district’s proposed FY2025–26 annual expenditure budget, which incorporates state budget uncertainty, enrollment estimates and fund‑by‑fund changes.
The Sunnyside Unified School District Governing Board approved the district’s proposed FY2025–26 annual expenditure budget and scheduled a public hearing for final adoption.
Carla Walters, district staff, presented an overview of the proposed budget and described it as a preliminary document prepared using forms from the Arizona Auditor General’s Office and projections from the Arizona Department of Education. Walters noted the budget was prepared with an Average Daily Membership (ADM) of 13,254 (about nine ADM higher than the prior revision) and estimated total district enrollment near 13,800 students.
Walters told the board that the budget assumes no enrollment decline, reflects a roughly $4,400,000 increase in the maintenance and operations fund (driven in part by an anticipated 2% base support level increase), and includes a $2,000,000 increase in the Classroom Site Fund. She said District Additional Assistance (DAA) is projected to increase by about $1,600,000 while several federal and state grant allocations are expected to decrease (Walters estimated approximately a $7,400,000 reduction in federal/state grant revenue compared with the prior year).
Walters also explained the district’s two overrides: a maintenance and operations override (reported on the cover as $8,155,211) and an unrestricted capital override ($7,000,000). She said the override funds support campus monitors, security positions, librarians, IT techs, mental-health professionals, arts and athletics stipends, classroom technology and new service vehicles in specified allocations.
On the cover page of the budget, Walters said the district’s proposed primary tax rate would be roughly $3.26 (a decline from the current $3.41 primary rate) while secondary tax components are expected to shift slightly; she said the combined total tax rate would be about $6.62. Walters explained the district had sufficient cash balances to continue operations if the state budget were delayed and that adjustments to ADM, carryover and allocations would be reflected at the December revision if needed.
The board approved the proposed FY2025–26 annual expenditure budget as presented and set a public hearing for adoption in the board’s July meeting. Roll-call votes were recorded as Aye by Mr. Bustamante, Mr. Jaramillo, Mr. Rodriguez and Mrs. Becky Quintero; Ms. Hernandez’s recorded vote was Aye as well during the roll call sequence.
Walters said staff will publish the proposed budget, post the required notices and bring the mandatory adoption item to the board at the scheduled public hearing. She also reminded the board that final state budget action could change some assumptions and that the district will monitor legislative outcomes and update the budget if necessary.
