Fountain Hills Unified board holds budget hearing, staff outlines conservative FY2022–23 plan with raises and staffing priorities

The Fountain Hills Unified School District governing board convened a special meeting June 29 to hold the statutorily required public hearing on its proposed fiscal year 2022–23 budget and to hear staff recommendations.

Catherine, identified in the presentation as the district’s director of finance, told the board final state budget multipliers arrived late and staff used preliminary FY22 multipliers for the packet. She said staff can update the adopted budget figures within 24 hours after receiving final figures so the board can meet public‑hearing requirements.

Using a conservative 5% enrollment decline, staff estimated an average daily membership (ADM) of 93 across the district’s three schools and produced two funding scenarios: one based on the smaller ADM used in the proposed budget (about $6.7 million in base M&O under FY22 multipliers) and a higher weighted estimate (near $7.3 million) that staff said they could include once final multipliers are confirmed. Catherine said the budget was balanced by shifting some capital funds into maintenance and operations (M&O) and pledged to restore at least $500,000 to capital when possible.

Staff flagged one‑time and grant resources including federal ESSER funds (noted as roughly $3.25 million in staff remarks) and a modest audit adjustment that the district estimated it could count at about $32,000. The presentation also listed low state grant amounts currently reflected in the packet and noted that capital estimates would change with final FY23 numbers.

On payroll, staff described a new teacher salary schedule negotiated in meet‑and‑confer, along with a districtwide minimum wage increase to $15 for support employees who had been paid around $12.80. Certified classroom salaries were described as increasing roughly 8.45% (about $262,000), and instructional aides’ wages rising by a larger percentage; staff said employees not covered by schedule adjustments would receive a 2.5% increase. The presenter said these changes were priorities despite inflation and other cost pressures.

The board opened the hearing to public comment and received none. By motion and voice vote the board suspended the regular meeting to hold the hearing and later reconvened; members scheduled a special meeting for July 13 to approve the budget after staff updates.

Board members thanked finance staff for navigating late state actions and for preparing a conservative, updatable budget. The board also discussed procurement timing—several planned purchases could not be completed before the fiscal year ended June 30—and noted those items will be bought out of the FY23 budget if needed.

What’s next: staff will update adopted budget figures as final state multipliers arrive and present the updated budget at the board’s special meeting on July 13, 2022, for action.