Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget 2025 26 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Casa Grande board approves publication of proposed 2025–26 budget and schedules public hearing
Summary
The board approved the district's proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget, authorized publication and set a public hearing date; staff warned the plan is preliminary and likely to change pending the state legislature and student-count updates.
The Casa Grande Elementary District Board of Education voted to approve the district’s proposed 2025–26 budget and to authorize publication of the proposed budget and notice of a budget hearing.
Mister Hegarty, speaking for district staff, described the proposal as preliminary and based on estimates because the Arizona state legislature had not completed its budget work. “Everything that we're doing right now is gonna be based on estimates,” he told the board, and he repeatedly warned the figures will change once the state adopts funding and the district finalizes student counts.
Staff said the district will post the proposed budget to the state website and conduct a public hearing on July 8; state requirements call for final adoption by July 15 and allow for later revisions by Sept. 15 and again in December to capture carry-forward actuals. Staff explained the district’s carry-forward is projected to drop by about $2,000,000 from the prior projection (from over $7,000,000 down to roughly $5,000,000) as one-time funds and expiring grants such as ESSER conclude.
Mister Hegarty outlined several line items and assumptions used in the proposal: an expected 2% growth in the state per-pupil amount (which he estimated would add about $934,000), projected increases of 32 weighted regular-ed students and 60 special-education students (the SPED growth estimated to add about $461,000), a modest increase in the Classroom Site Fund (about $50 per pupil, adding roughly $342,000), and a $105,000 higher lease cost being shifted from M&O into capital to preserve the capital budget. He also said transportation revenue-control limits remain unchanged.
Board members discussed the budget capacity and carry-forward, and staff said the district remains in a healthy position but will need to prioritize and may adjust staffing or capital purchases if revenues are lower than projected. Staff noted the district is not expected to be in deficit but will have less budget capacity than the prior year and that the bond election in the fall could affect capital planning.
Missus Sisson moved to approve the proposed 2025–26 budget and to authorize publication of the proposed budget and the notice of budget hearing; Mister Schute seconded the motion. Roll-call votes recorded President Varela, Missus Sisson and Mister Schute voting aye and the motion passed.
Staff said department leaders and the new finance staff will continue to refine the budget and return to the board with revisions as required by state timelines.
