Casa Grande Elementary School District adopts preliminary 2025-26 expenditure budget

The Casa Grande Elementary School District Board of Education on a unanimous vote adopted a preliminary 2025-26 expenditure budget after a public hearing and a staff presentation of the district’s revenue and spending assumptions.

During the meeting, Mr. Hegarty presented the proposed budget and described it as a preliminary document based on current state estimates. He said the district advertised the proposal June 25 and met the 10-day public-notice requirement for the hearing. “We did propose it back on June 25. And we have, like I mentioned, put the notice of public hearing out there,” Hegarty said. He told the board the district must adopt a budget by the fifteenth of the year and recommended a first revision by Sept. 15 once the legislature finalizes numbers.

Hegarty outlined key assumptions behind the proposal: a base per-pupil funding figure of $5,013 used for adoption (he said the legislature’s 2 percent increase, about $126 per pupil, would be added in the revision), several one-time state supplements that are estimated but not final (state aid supplement about $404,000; a capital-related one-time district assistance of about $124,000; and a free-and-reduced lunch-related supplement of about $345,000), and adjustments tied to weighted average daily membership that increased revenue for special education by about $461,000. He cautioned that those supplement figures are estimates: “Are these numbers correct? No. But they're estimates based on what we know at a point in time. So is the budget gonna change? The budget's gonna change.”

The presentation also described fund-level changes: a projected drop in carryforward, an increase in the Classroom Site Fund driven by a $50 per-pupil increase (projected additional $342,000 and a carryforward increase of about $964,000), and a planned transfer from maintenance & operations to capital to cover payments on a new capital lease tied to energy-saving equipment. Hegarty said federal ARPA-era funds previously supporting operations are no longer available: “Our federal dollars from us are just like everybody else in the world gone. 100% gone.”

After the public comment period closed with no speakers, Mrs. Martinez moved to adopt the 2025-26 expenditure budget as presented; Mrs. Sisson seconded. Roll call showed all present members voting aye; the motion passed.

The adopted budget is preliminary and, per staff direction, will be revised after the legislature finalizes state funding formulas. Hegarty recommended the board approve a first revision by Sept. 15 and noted the district typically completes a carryforward revision in December and a final revision no later than May 15.

Board members and staff also noted the district has a bond election this fall to fund facilities, technology and transportation improvements; that authorization and tax-rate effects will be communicated to voters separate from the budget adoption materials. The board closed the item by scheduling its next regular meeting for Aug. 12, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the David Snyder Leadership Center, 220 W. Quartz Street.

All direct quotes are taken from the district meeting transcript and attributable to named presenters.