Scottsdale Unified budget discussion flags $4.1 million shortfall; board weighs cutting assistant principals to half-time

Scottsdale Unified School District finance staff told the governing board on April 14 that the district faces a roughly $4.1 million shortfall for the 2025–26 fiscal year and described options to close that gap, including reduced school allocations and position adjustments.

The district’s budget presentation laid out revenue assumptions, including a projected 2% decline in average daily membership and a modest state base funding increase. Shannon Crozier, who led the budget presentation, said the district expects a drop of 463 weighted students — a change she said equals about $2.3 million in lost state revenue. “The last few years, our decline has been 2 percent,” Crozier told the board while walking through enrollment and weighted‑count trends.

Why it matters: the district’s maintenance and operations fund covers most daily operations and salaries. With more than 80% of M&O expenditures tied to salary and benefits, small enrollment or funding shifts force hard tradeoffs that affect staff on campus.

Board members and speakers pressed administration for options to preserve school‑level staff. Vice President Mike Sharkey and Member Amy Carney repeatedly asked whether cuts could be…