Chandler Unified board adopts $2.08 million staffing reductions for 2026–27 after 3–2 vote

The Chandler Unified board voted 3–2 on Jan. 29 to approve a customized package of staffing reductions intended to meet a $2.08 million budget shortfall for the 2026–27 school year.

The approved package combines multiple menu items from district administration’s proposal and—by board direction—keeps high-school attendance interventionists while reducing certain media/technology roles and trimming five certified teaching full‑time equivalents (FTEs) under a modified staffing guideline. The board’s action implements a combination described by administration as Option 2 + Option 3 + Option 10 + a modified Option 14 (5 FTE), with staff estimating the total reduction at about $2,079,678.

Why it matters

District officials told the board the cuts are intended to balance continuing enrollment declines with classroom priorities. Administration presented five years of enrollment and staffing trend data showing decreases in student counts and argued Chandler Unified is spending relatively more in classrooms than in administration compared with peers. Board members said their choices reflect competing priorities: protect student-facing roles that affect attendance and classroom access while reducing central and non-classroom costs.

What the board approved

The motion approved a customized combination of menu items from the district’s budget options. Key elements the district and board discussed include: - Reductions tied to staffing guidelines for media/technology positions that set a 450‑student threshold for how many MediaTech FTEs a campus receives (schools over 450 students receive two MediaTech FTEs; smaller campuses receive one), and related changes to library/media assistant FTE allocations. Administration estimated media-related changes at about $1.03 million in savings for one option and different totals depending on the combination chosen. - A $300,000 reduction in district-level administrative staffing under the chosen menu. - A modified reduction in certified classroom positions limited to five FTEs rather than larger cuts proposed earlier; administration said those five positions would be allocated where necessary and that usual practices (attrition and placement) would be used to manage staffing when enrollments change. - Preservation of high-school student attendance interventionists in the final package; that position had been proposed for elimination in some earlier menus but was retained as part of the compromise.

Board debate and data

Board members pressed administration for details about how attendance interventionists affect Average Daily Membership (ADM) funding and student outcomes. Administration and staff said the district has limited causal evidence that a single position alone drives ADM changes: attendance work is distributed among counselors, social workers and site staff, and recent changes at the state level complicate how absences affect ADM collections. The district also described a pilot of an internally developed "Grad Tracker" tool (piloted at three high schools) intended to automate some counselor work and help reduce summer workload.

Board member Mr. Heap, who proposed an earlier motion that failed, acknowledged the cuts would be painful. "It's gonna be hard. It's gonna be painful, and I can assure all of those listening... we have more change to come," he said during debate. Board member Ms. Monson, who supported consolidating media and tech positions by enrollment, said she believed the combined positions would continue to provide student access while fitting the district's declining enrollment.

Votes and next steps

An initial motion to adopt a previous option failed on a 2–3 vote. After additional motions and an amended, customized Option C presented by a board member and seconded by a colleague, the board approved the amended package 3–2. The board directed district administration and HR to implement the reductions and to proceed with issuing contracts consistent with the timing discussed; staff said HR would manage placements and use attrition and contingency funding as needed to honor contracts and avoid mid‑year layoffs.

Administration said some details and a broader study session on the history and rationale for the proposals will follow this spring, and that HR aims to issue employment contracts by the target date discussed in the meeting.

The board adjourned after the vote.

Sources: Chandler Unified special governing-board meeting transcript, Jan. 29, 2026.