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Maricopa Unified holds public hearing on FY25 budget revision after student count rises
Summary
District finance staff said average daily membership rose by 362 students, increasing state funding capacity and lifting the district's M&O and capital budget limits; no formal adoption vote was recorded at the hearing.
Maricopa Unified School District held a public hearing on May 14 to present a final revision of the fiscal year 2025 budget after revised student counts increased state funding capacity.
At the hearing, Chief Financial Officer (presenter) Harmon told the governing board the district's average daily membership (ADM) grew by 362 students, about 4.1% year over year, and the district's total weighted student count was roughly 100 above projection. "Our actual ADM grew by 362, just 7 short of our projections," Harmon said during the presentation.
The nut graf: Because state aid follows ADM and specific weights in the state funding formula, the updated counts created one-time and ongoing changes across Maricopa Unified's three main funds (maintenance and operations, capital and classroom site fund) and increased the district's budget capacity in several areas.
Harmon explained how legislative changes and one-time additions affected the district. He said a planned inflation adjustment to certain group-B weights was instead funded by the Legislature as a one-time add-on to the free-and-reduced-price-lunch (FRPL) weight, and that the DAA (district additional assistance) adjustment also became a one-time add-on after the proposed budget. Harmon gave numerical highlights: an estimated understated carry forward of about $2,500,000; interest earnings approximately $88,000 higher than projected; the capital budget limit increasing by about $2,600,000; the maintenance and operations (M&O) general budget limit increasing by about $1,200,000 relative to the adopted limit; a classroom site fund allocation decreasing slightly by about $59,000; and an overall district budget increase of approximately $3,800,000 from adoption, largely driven by the higher weighted student counts.
Board members had no questions during the presentation, and Harmon offered to answer public questions before moving the hearing into the public-comment portion. The record shows the board opened the public comment opportunity; no public speakers asked budget-specific questions during the segment included in the transcript. The hearing record in the transcript does not include a recorded formal vote to adopt the budget revision at this meeting.
The district finance presentation and the public forum recording are available through the district; Harmon invited questions and said staff stood ready to follow up. President Robert Downey and CFO Harmon opened and closed the public hearing segments as shown in the meeting record.
Less-critical detail: the hearing was item 1c on the board agenda and was followed by the board's adjournment of the public meeting and transition to the regular board meeting.
