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Cartwright board approves November override election, budget revision and staff pay changes
Summary
At its May 6 meeting the Cartwright Elementary District governing board voted to call a 15% maintenance-and-operations override election for November 2026, adopted the May 2025–26 budget revision, and approved several employee-related items including a "working for benefits" return-to-work program and ESP salary schedule changes.
The Cartwright Elementary District governing board on May 6 approved several fiscal and personnel measures, including a resolution ordering a 15% maintenance-and-operations override election to be held in November 2026, adoption of the district's May 2025'26 budget revision (Annual Expenditure Revision No. 2), and a set of employee compensation and schedule changes.
The board voted, by roll call, to adopt the override resolution after hearing administration's presentation that the override would generate about $14 million for the district each year and is already in place. Acting budget presenter Doctor Etheridge told the board the override funds in practice support programs such as full-day kindergarten and class-size standards. Etheridge warned that losing the override could require reductions amounting to roughly 20% of teaching staff if the $14 million were removed.
Separately the board approved the May budget revision to update revenue-control limits and to account for changes in average daily membership, carry-forward balances and encumbrances. Etheridge told the board the district moved roughly $3 million from M&O to capital this year for textbook adoption and capital projects and reported a carry-forward balance increase to about $12.6 million.
On personnel matters, the board approved:
- a "working for benefits" program allowing eligible retirees (hire date by 06/30/2025 and minimum years of service) to return as substitutes for 35 days in exchange for medical insurance (retirees are paid $1 per day to establish employment status and must hold fingerprint clearance cards);
- approval of 2026'7 work calendars aligning most staff to a five-day workweek (with preschool exceptions);
- salary-schedule adjustments for educational support professionals (ESPs), nurses, food-service ESPs and related classifications that include a 2% upward move in schedule cells plus step adjustments, an effective increase the district estimated at roughly 4% in many cases.
All of these items passed on recorded roll-call votes. Board members asked for follow-up materials where appropriate'for example, a report of eligible and interested participants under the working-for-benefits program and clarification on staffing charts referenced during discussions.
The board also approved five priorities to submit to the Arizona School Boards Association legislative committee, including full funding for IDEA, funding for local school safety and mental-health initiatives, inclusion of full-day kindergarten in override calculations, raising compulsory attendance to 18, and restoring certain CTE funding.
