Chandler Unified board approves proposed 2025'026 budget for publication; Truth in Taxation hearing set

The Chandler Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously Wednesday to publish the district's proposed expenditure budget for fiscal year 2025'026, setting up the required public hearing and formal adoption process later this summer.

District business officials told the board that the budget must be published now to meet statutory timelines and that the formal public hearing on the proposed budget and the Truth in Taxation notice will occur at the July 9 board meeting.

Why it matters: The proposed budget frames priorities for the coming school year and determines the district's formal request for any tax levies that require public notice. Superintendent and finance staff noted several revenue and expenditure drivers: a continuing decline in student enrollment (an estimated loss of about 850 ADM for maintenance and operations funding), reduced carryover amounts, and pending state funding decisions that could further affect capacity.

Key figures explained by district finance staff: Mrs. Barry, the district's business official who presented the budget, highlighted several changes compared with the current year's adopted budget: - Maintenance & Operations (M&O): projected decrease of about $7 million compared with the adopted 2024'025 budget, driven chiefly by lower carryover and reduced enrollment; staff also noted a projected 2% base support increase embedded in state proposals that would offset part of the reduction. - Capital: projected decrease of roughly $12 million because the district spent down carryover on completed capital projects. - Classroom Site Fund (Prop 301): collections per pupil have increased slightly (from roughly $796 to $842 per pupil), raising classroom-site allocations.

Trustees also discussed several statewide items that could affect the district if the legislature finalizes them: a longstanding 10-year state funding mechanism commonly referred to as Prop 1/2/3 (portions of the program are moving from state land trust funding into the general fund) and a $75 million line the Joint Legislative Budget Committee had included in preliminary materials but that was not finalized in the budget forms the Auditor General published. Mrs. Barry said the $75 million is not currently in the budget forms; if it is approved by the legislature, it would add roughly $2.8 million to the district's capacity.

Tax notice and adjacent ways request: The district will publish a Truth in Taxation notice related to an adjacent-ways levy the board included in the proposed budget. The draft notice shows the adjacent-ways request would raise approximately $4 million and would equate to about $9.92 per $100,000 of assessed home value in a single year; the board must hold a Truth in Taxation hearing before finalizing any adjacent-ways levy.

Board action: Board member Modson moved and Missus Mendoza seconded a motion to publish the proposed 2025'026 expenditure budget for public inspection and to schedule the required hearing. The motion passed unanimously.

What's next: The district will publish the proposed budget and Truth in Taxation notice per statute and hold the public hearing July 9. Staff told the board they will return with a full presentation of the proposed budget, including line-by-line changes and the impact on staffing and programs, and will bring back the adopted budget for formal adoption after the hearing window has elapsed.

Speakers quoted: Mrs. Barry, director of business services (budget presentation); Board member Heap (clarifying questions about how proposed levies would affect a homeowner).