Chandler Unified board adopts 2024-25 budget revision 2; authorizes subsection flexibility and approves consent agenda

The Chandler Unified School District Governing Board on May 7 adopted the district's second budget revision for fiscal 2024-25, approving technical and programmatic adjustments the administration said were required after updated enrollment counts, grant allocations and final accounting.

Key facts - The board adopted "District Annual Expenditure Budget Revision Number 2" as required under Arizona law; the motion passed unanimously. - The district said average daily membership (ADM) has declined compared with the original adopted budget; staff reported a net reduction of about 1,118 ADM compared with the budget adopted in July 2024, with the latest revision recording 39,984 ADM for the year. - The revision increased the district's total budget across all funds from $636,339,993 (December revision) to $638,694,383, an increase of $2,354,390, the administration said. Maintenance-and-operations (M&O) net changes were driven by updated state supplements and other allocations and showed an overall increase of $667,933 in M&O compared with the December revision.

What administrators told the board Mrs. Berry reviewed the state rules that govern budget revisions and explained why districts must revise budgets when actual enrollment, grant awards and other revenues differ from earlier estimates. She said the district undertook multiple updates across M&O, federal/state projects and other funds; staff emphasized that some federal grants close on varying schedules and that carryover and final allocations required line-item adjustments.

Mrs. Berry also noted carryover and supplemental state allocations (including a one-time state supplement related to district additional assistance and other allocations) that partially offset ADM-driven revenue reductions. She said one outstanding data item remains under review (the reporting of gifted-student weights to the state) and that staff will seek to capture any eligible funds once ADE finalizes counts.

Board actions and votes at a glance - Consent agenda: Motion to approve the consent agenda carried unanimously (mover: Board member Motson; seconder: Board member Heap). - Item 11.01 (Adopt budget revision #2): Motion carried unanimously (mover: Board member Roars; seconder: Board member Mendoza). The revision reflects ADM adjustments, updated revenue estimates and carryovers. - Item 11.02 (Authorize district administration to exceed maintenance-and-operations subsections where needed, provided the overall M&O total is not exceeded): Motion carried unanimously (mover: Board member Heap; seconder: Board member Modston). Staff said this is an annual, routine authorization to avoid audit findings should individual M&O line items need minor reallocation during close-out and is not an authorization to exceed the overall M&O appropriation.

Why this matters Budget revisions document the district's available resources and are the basis for lawful spending. Because Arizona's basic school funding is tied to current-year enrollment counts and categorical weights, district revenues can shift through the year; the revision reconciles those changes and sets the legal appropriation for the remainder of the fiscal year. The M&O fund pays most operating costs; the district told the board about the scale of payroll and the sensitivity of staffing budgets to these revenues.

Quote "We revised the budget to reflect changes in average daily membership, updated state and federal allocations and carryover amounts from grants. We will continue to reconcile a gifted-student reporting item with ADE and bring any additional corrections back to the board," Mrs. Berry said.

Ending Board members asked clarifying questions about special-education testing workload, transportation costs and debt-service timing; staff said they will return with additional details if needed. The board approved the revision and related authorizations so staff can complete fiscal-year closeout and continue planning for 2025-26.