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Heber-Overgaard board accepts preliminary FY2026-27 budget figures, flags enrollment dip and modest funding increases
Summary
The board authorized preparation of the FY2026-27 budget after hearing preliminary figures showing enrollment down about five students, a projected Classroom Site Fund increase to $883 per student, a projected base support level of $5,215.53, and a modest net health-insurance increase.
The Heber-Overgaard Unified School District No. 6 Governing Board on April 14 authorized staff to proceed with preparing the preliminary FY2026-27 budget, citing a small enrollment decline and a modest increase in state funding and certain employer costs.
Business Manager Andrea Despain told the board the district’s average daily membership (ADM) was down approximately five students from the prior year’s 100th-day count; administrators used that figure as the planning baseline. Ms. Despain said the Classroom Site Fund per-student rate is projected to increase from $842 to $883 for FY2026-27 and that the district’s projected base support level per student is $5,215.53. She said a 2% state inflation adjustment equates to roughly $102 per student.
Ms. Despain outlined employer-side cost changes: the district’s insurance consortium absorbed most of a projected 12% medical premium increase, leaving the district with an estimated 5% net increase; Arizona State Retirement System contribution rates are projected to decline slightly, providing modest budget relief.
She also described how teacher increases would be delivered as supplemental stipends rather than base-contract raises to allow flexibility pending final budget allocations. Forest fee receipts from the Forest Service (a late payment tied to FY2024) were posted after Navajo County action, providing additional one-time flexibility for end-of-year projects.
The board voted to accept the preliminary budget figures and proceed with necessary contract and budget processes; administration will submit final revised forms by September 15, 2026, once ADE releases final budget forms.
