Maricopa Unified board votes to advertise FY 2026'1027 budget; approves renovation GMP, insurance reserve and playground grants

The Maricopa Unified School District Governing Board voted on June 10 to advertise the district's proposed fiscal year 2026'1027 budget and approved several related actions, including a guaranteed maximum price for the Maricopa High School 800 Building replacement, the creation of a prepaid insurance account to cover deductibles and acceptance of playground equipment grants for two elementary campuses.

The board authorized staff to publish a truth-in-taxation notice and hold a public hearing on July 10 at 6:30 p.m. so the district can adopt a final budget after the state's numbers are finalized. "Overall, the district's tax rate is decreasing by 48, which means next year, each homeowner will see a reduction in taxes of about $48.22 per $100,000 of limited home value," Mr. Harmon told the board during his presentation of the proposed budget.

Why it matters: Advertising the preliminary budget begins the legally required public-notice process and sets the district's spending limits pending state revenue figures. The proposed plan carries line items the board highlighted as priorities for next school year: teacher compensation increases, additional staffing for behavioral supports and investments in professional development.

Key details from the presentation and votes

- Budget assumptions and staffing: Mr. Harmon said the district is using preliminary Auditor General budget forms and is assuming a 2% increase to the base amount per student (preliminary figure cited at about $5,215.53). The draft budget proposes a 3% increase to staff salaries, raises the teacher base to $57,000 and includes roughly $3,000,000 for additional staffing. Within that amount Mr. Harmon noted about $700,000 is allocated to ESS staffing and more than $500,000 is dedicated to tier 3 student behavior supports.

- Classroom site fund and totals: The classroom site fund per-pupil allocation was presented increasing from $842 to $883 per pupil. Mr. Harmon said the district's proposed general budget limit is about $90,600,000 (a $2.8 million increase over the prior year) and that, based on available assumptions, homeowners would see an estimated tax reduction as noted above. The board voted unanimously to accept the proposed budget for advertisement; a public hearing is scheduled for July 10.

- Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for Maricopa High School: The board approved GMP #2, which Mr. Harmon said covers work replacing the 800 Building ("everything but the gym") and is funded with bond proceeds. The motion carried on a unanimous vote.

- Personnel schedule: Mr. Beckett presented the personnel schedule and reported vacancies of roughly 10.5 general education teachers and five special education teachers remaining to be filled. The board approved the personnel schedule by unanimous vote.

- Insurance strategy and prepaid account: The board approved creating a prepaid account with the Arizona School Risk Retention Trust to hold required deductible funds if the district raises certain deductibles and shifts to a retrospective workers' compensation plan. Mr. Harmon summarized potential savings, saying the deductible adjustments and plan change "could yield a maximum one-year savings of about $676,000" and described depositing $200,000 per required deductible into a more liquid prepaid account. The board approved the prepaid account and funding as presented.

- Playground grants: Staff reported grant awards that will cover 35% of replacement costs for playground projects at Maricopa Elementary and Santa Cruz Elementary (the equipment comes from the district's longstanding vendor). The board accepted the grants and authorized staff to proceed; the motion passed unanimously.

Board process and next steps

The board emphasized the presentation was preliminary given state budget uncertainty and said the July 10 hearing will be used to adopt a final budget after state aid figures are finalized. Multiple board members thanked staff for seeking grants and otherwise looking to reduce district costs.

All motions recorded during the meeting passed by recorded "aye" votes from Member Shontay Rothschild, Member Lisa Garcia, Vice President Carolyn Lopez and President Patty Cutre. The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

The board will return July 10 for the budget adoption and truth-in-taxation public hearing.