Chandler Unified presents $11.8–$12 million rightsizing plan that would cut roughly 110–125 positions
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Summary
District leaders presented a 2026–27 budget study session proposing roughly $11.8–$12.0 million in reductions and rightsizing about 111–123 positions, prioritizing preservation of classroom-facing roles while shifting some jobs into federal, state or cash funds and converting some media/tech roles into career-literacy positions.
Chandler Unified School District presented a study-session budget proposal that would reduce recurring spending by roughly $11.8–$12.0 million for the 2026–27 school year and rightsize about 111–123 positions in response to multi-year enrollment declines and the end of one-time federal and state funding.
Superintendent Narducci, who opened the presentation, said the proposal is intended to be “about transparency,” outlining objectives that included aligning staffing to enrollment trends and preparing the governing board for a later action item. The administration linked the need for cuts to declining enrollment since the 2020 peak and the expiration of ESSER and state results-based funds that had temporarily supported staffing.
District staff presented a breakdown of proposed changes to the maintenance and operations (M&O) fund. Miss Berry said M&O is largely personnel costs and recommended reductions in several categories: approximately 7 administrative FTEs, about 40 FTEs in district-certified "other" positions (coaches and specialists), roughly 42.4 teacher FTEs, and about 21.8 support staff positions, plus shifting about 9–10 positions out of M&O into federal, state or cash funds. Berry summarized the top-line preview as "about $11,800,000."
Finance staff and the superintendent emphasized that the recommendation protects student-facing positions where possible and aims to preserve class-size guidelines (a 24-to-1 elementary ratio). As Superintendent Narducci put it during the presentation, the plan "is looking at $12,000,000 in budget reductions to provide a balanced budget going into the 2627 school year." Miss Berry reiterated the staffing-sizing rationale tied to a roughly 3% decline in average daily membership.
The presentation described four implementation priorities: (1) administration and departmental cuts and shifting eligible roles or purchase services into other funding sources; (2) reductions to district non-classroom certified support (coaches/specialists), including cutting days and leadership stipends for many roles; (3) school-level non-classroom staff changes (including a proposal to combine media and technology roles into a career-literacy teacher at elementary schools); and (4) adherence to updated site staffing guidelines that will change some dean and counselor allocations by enrollment formula.
Abby Allen, executive director of human resources, outlined personnel procedures that will guide any changes: continuing-contract teachers are guaranteed placement consideration via the involuntary transfer process based on certification and vacancies; one-year and at-will positions are handled differently; and the district has scheduled group and individual meetings for affected employees. Allen said district leaders have been meeting with staff and principals and will continue placement work.
Board members asked for more detail in several areas: how the career-literacy pilots were implemented at 3 then 13 schools, whether reading interventions would be preserved, how preschool program changes were communicated to families and why some preschool classrooms were removed from registration before the study session, and logistics for moving an alternative program (ICANN) into Hill Academy. District staff acknowledged a communication glitch with preschool registration and apologized. Stephanie Hall, who shared preschool staffing and capacity analyses, said, "I am sorry" for how some staff and families learned about changes.
No formal vote was taken during the study session; the board president recessed the meeting and scheduled the budget proposal as an action item later that evening for further questions and possible action.
What's next: the board will continue discussion and may act later this evening. District staff said they will continue HR meetings with impacted employees and principals, publish staffing-guideline details on the district website, and provide a job description for the proposed career-literacy position for board review.
