Blue Ridge board approves FY26 proposed budget; levies adjacent ways for paving

The Blue Ridge Unified School District No. 32 Governing Board approved the district’s FY26 proposed budget at its regular meeting after a presentation by Kimberly Dugdale, the district’s chief financial officer.

Kimberly said the FY26 proposal is a “bare bones” draft prepared on Arizona Department of Education forms because the state legislature had not completed its funding decisions. She said the district must file a proposed budget to meet the statutory adoption deadline and that the state’s draft forms allow districts to post a proposed budget and then revise it after legislative action.

Key items Kimberly cited: - The amount per pupil used in the proposed forms is $5,013 (the FY25 figure); the legislature’s final number for FY26 had not been released. - The district’s average daily membership (ADM) figures were held flat in the draft; kindergarten and other part‑time schedules mean FTEs can include decimals. - Kimberly estimated a conservative carry forward of about $1,200,000 but said carry-forward will be finalized after August bills are paid and will appear in the September revised budget. - The district’s Impact Aid is declining because fewer students live on the White Mountain Apache Reservation; the hold-harmless provision will continue but the Impact Aid amount will decrease over time. - The board will levy for adjacent ways (truth-in-taxation hearing to follow) to fund paving of the bus loop behind the soccer field and drainage repairs at the elementary school; Kimberly said the levy amount is the statutory maximum allowed for those adjacent ways purposes.

Kimberly explained the timing: the board must post the proposed budget and hold public hearings (a truth-in-taxation hearing for the adjacent ways levy and a separate public hearing on the budget) before adopting a budget that will be final on the published adoption date. She said nothing in the posted proposed document may be changed between posting and the July adoption date, but the board can revise the budget in December or at later statutorily permitted times.

Board members asked about quotes for the paving project; Kimberly said facilities staff are obtaining bids and that the district typically uses a small pool of contractors willing to work on school properties. She also described federal grant cycles and an ADE situation affecting certain equalization funds, but she said the district is solvent and will receive funds when state processes are finalized.

A motion to accept the proposed FY26 budget as presented (agenda item 3.1) carried by board vote.

The board will publish the proposed budget and post notices for the upcoming truth-in-taxation and budget public hearings as required by statute.