Scottsdale Unified approves revised FY24-25 expenditure budget; board hears update on FY25-26 maintenance and operations plan

At a public hearing opening the May 13 meeting, the Scottsdale Unified School District governing board unanimously approved a revision to the district’s fiscal year 2024–25 expenditure budget to align anticipated revenues and expenditures with actual student counts and carryforward balances.

What the board approved The district presented the final revision for FY24–25, showing a modest weighted-student-count decrease of 47.16 that initially reduced maintenance-and-operations (M&O) funding by about $342,581. District staff said the weighted count may increase slightly after a county data fix for some students who were not yet counted. Capital carryforward increased by roughly $2.5 million for unfinished projects that rolled into the next fiscal year. The board approved the revised expenditure budget by voice vote; the public hearing record shows the vote as unanimous (5-0).

Why it matters The FY24–25 revision aligns spending with actual enrollment, grant carryforward and one‑time state funds approved after the district adopted its proposed budget last spring. The revision limits unanticipated shortfalls for the current year, allowing staff to manage year‑end wrap‑ups and project carryforwards into FY25–26.

Discussion of FY25–26 maintenance and operations District finance staff then briefed trustees on early planning for the FY25–26 maintenance and operations budget. Key points: - The district currently projects a possible $2.7 million reduction in revenue due to weight‑count and other changes; staff removed a prior placeholder for “Prop 123” style funding and are modeling the revenue drop without that source. - The district included a proposed 1.5% salary increase across employees and a planned $1 million M&O contribution toward insurance for the coming year. - Department budgets were examined cabinet‑wide; reductions ranged from 1% to as much as 47% in some line items. Major unavoidable increases include phone system replacement, property‑casualty insurance (costs previously supplemented from a trust that is low), transportation and utilities. - After identifying savings, staff reported a remaining gap of roughly $145,000 before the FY25–26 M&O plan would be balanced; staff said they may adjust transfers from other district funds and continue to find savings.

Board direction and next steps Trustees asked follow-up questions and thanked staff for the review. Staff said they will continue to refine the FY25–26 M&O proposal, present additional options in June and return to the board for final budget adoption in June. The board signaled support for further transparency and for identifying additional savings, including an evaluation of department budgets and any forthcoming RFP results for medical insurance.

Ending: The board finished the public‑hearing vote on the FY24–25 revision as unanimous and directed staff to keep refining the FY25–26 M&O plan, with a final adoption vote scheduled for the June meeting.