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Apache Junction Unified Board reviews FY2026 proposed budget, sets timeline for adoption
Summary
Board staff presented the FY2026 proposed budget, outlining $19 million in maintenance and operations (M&O), roughly $1.1 million in capital, an expected 9% decline in student ADM, and a projected increase in the state per-student base if the state budget passes; no formal vote on the budget was recorded.
The Apache Junction Unified District Governing Board heard a presentation on the district’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget at a June 24 special meeting and set deadlines for the formal adoption process.
Gina Salazar, the district staff member presenting the packet, told the board the document currently uses FY2025 floor figures because the state budget had not yet been finalized. "We are still working with FY '25 numbers because the budget has not been passed by the state yet," she said, adding the current base amount is $5,013 per student and is anticipated to rise about 2% to roughly $5,113.26 when the state completes its process.
Salazar said the district is planning for a 9% decline in average daily membership (ADM) for the coming year, which offsets increases in per-student funding. She summarized the preliminary totals shown in the packet: roughly $19,000,000 for maintenance and operations (M&O) and about $1,100,000 for capital in the current draft. The presenter noted a revenue control limit listed in the packet of $18,000,000 and described an estimated current-year spend near $23.5 million of a $23.6 million view in the materials.
On capital and carryforward, Salazar told the board that capital was reduced this year to about $608,000 to free funds for operations and that planned capital spending in the current view is about $454,000. She also said a new "budget balance carry forward" line will show planned carryover into FY2027; a carryforward previously shown as $141,000 is likely to increase and be applied to next year’s totals.
Board members asked procedural and line-item questions. One member asked why many FTE (full-time-equivalent) lines on a grant-specific page showed zeros; Salazar explained those pages reflect grant-specific staffing and that some grants do not carry FTE counts in the packet until data are finalized. On financial controls, Salazar said the county voucher process prevents the district from processing expenditures that would exceed the budget.
The board also discussed timing tied to the state budget. Salazar said the proposed budget must be filed by July 5 and adopted by July 15, with the legally required 10-day interval between proposed and adopted budgets; the district’s next regular board meeting is July 8. No formal adoption vote on the FY2026 budget appears in the transcript; Salazar said any final changes will be made when state numbers are available and that the district expects to revise the budget in September or December if needed.
A board member asked about a reported $200,000 state allocation for technology to Apache Junction; Salazar and other participants said the district will wait to receive the money before deciding how to distribute it and that any award would be assigned to student technology across the district.
The meeting opened and closed with short procedural votes. The board unanimously approved the meeting agenda by a 4–0 vote early in the session, and later voted 4–0 to adjourn. The presentation and discussion of the FY2026 proposed budget did not result in a recorded board vote during the special meeting.
The board is scheduled to continue its budget process at upcoming meetings once state funding figures are finalized.
