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Mesa board adopts final 2024-25 budget revision after one-time state funding restoration
Summary
The Governing Board approved the final 2024-25 budget revision, reflecting small ADM adjustments and roughly $3.4 million in one-time state restorations to offset prior formula reductions; board members and public speakers debated enrollment losses and staffing counts.
The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board approved a final revision to the district's 2024-25 budget on May 20 following a public hearing required by Arizona statute (A.R.S. 15-905). The revision incorporates updated average daily membership (ADM) figures, federal fund adjustments and late-arriving one-time state allocations that temporarily restored earlier reductions to district funding formulas.
Finance staff explained the key drivers: changes in ADM since the December revision (a net decline of about 131 students across grade spans), a $2.7 million increase to the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budget limit, and a $1.4 million one-time increase to the District Additional Assistance (DAA) capital budget limit. Those increases were largely the result of the state late-restoring, for one year, funds cut in the legislature's budget that had reduced the poverty-weighted (free and reduced-price lunch) funding and the capital formula. District finance director Scott Thompson told the board the one-time restorations make the district "whole" for this year but emphasized the legislature's current baseline for upcoming years did not include restorations; Thompson warned that the district could face roughly $3.4 million in ongoing reductions next year (about $6.8 million over two years) unless the legislature changes course.
The board heard public commentary during the hearing. Several speakers blamed programmatic or curricular choices for declining enrollment and called for changes; others raised concerns about apparent increases in certain support staff counts while instruction FTE declined and asked for explanations. Business staff explained some apparent increases in special education support headcount reflect improved accounting that now captures contract staff and on-site vendors previously recorded differently; the change was described as a methodology cleanup rather than net new hires.
After board discussion and clarification questions, the board voted 5-0 to adopt the revision. Superintendent Dr. Andy Forliss and finance staff said the revision raises budget limits (not necessarily immediate spending) and that the district would return with more detail on cash allocations and any needed spending adjustments as the fiscal year closes.
