Chandler Unified previews smaller 2025 bond request, affirms fiscal stability in AFR

District finance staff and trustees reviewed bond, override and fiscal information during study sessions and the regular meeting on Oct. 8, ahead of a voter decision this November.

Miss Barb Barry said state statute requires districts to review maintenance-and-operations (M&O) overrides and bond expenditures with voters; she reminded the public that Chandler Unified has used overrides since 1990 and that most override revenue supports salaries and benefits. The district is in the fourth year of its current override cycle and noted the tax-rate impact has remained roughly steady (reported as about $1.09/$1,000 assessed value in 02/2425 on the transcript).

On bonds, Barry said the district reduced the 2025 bond request at community request: after community and committee reviews the proposed ask was cut from a prior $487 million request to roughly $271 million. The 2019 voter-approved bond totaled $290,250,000 (plus ~$2 million interest), of which about $267M was spent or encumbered and roughly $25M remains in carryover to be completed next year. Barry outlined probable priorities if 2025 bond proceeds are approved: Hartford Elementary rebuild, HVAC and roof work at multiple sites, building renewals, technology replacement cycles, and adjacent-ways projects such as road improvements and a traffic-light at Rice Elementary.

Barry and staff also presented the FY 2024-25 Annual Financial Report (AFR). The district reported approximately $559M in total expenditures across roughly 40,000 students (ADM ~39,000'40,000), with about 84% of spending going to salaries and benefits and nearly 70% of M&O classified as instruction or instructional support. She highlighted that federal competitive grants declined after ESSER funds were expended, and that the district maintains significant reserves and a triple-A bond rating from Fitch and Moody's.

Trustees asked for publicly accessible details on specific bond line items and for year-over-year student-climate and enrollment data to view trends. Trustee Mohsen Heap and others urged clearer, simpler public-facing materials for voters; Barry said board docs, the district bond/override website, and presentation Excel sheets are available online and staff will continue to post details. Trustee Kurt Rohrs noted enrollment declines across most campuses and urged demographic forecasting be added to planning.

No new levy or bond was approved at the meeting; the board unanimously approved publication of the AFR as required by ARS 15-904.

If the 2025 bond measure is approved, the district said it would hold some projects until voters confirm the financing and would continue to pursue School Facilities Division (formerly SFB) grants for eligible building-renewal work.

The board voted later in the meeting to publish the AFR and to continue public engagement on the bond and override materials.