Chandler Unified board approves small Dec. revision to 2025–26 budget amid CTE funding questions

The Chandler Unified School District governing board on Dec. 10 approved Revision No. 2 to the district’s 2025–26 expenditure budget, a limited set of adjustments that increased the district’s combined funds by about $4.7 million — from roughly $673 million to $678 million.

Ms. Salana Berry, the district budget lead, told the board the December revision is required by statute after the Arizona Department of Education finalizes average daily membership (ADM) and other state calculations. She described a net increase to Maintenance & Operations (M&O) of approximately $4,896,580 stemming from updated carryover calculations and state-aid adjustments, and a larger unrestricted capital carryover reflecting bond cash-flow decisions.

Why it matters: the revision updates carryover and state-aid estimates ahead of a final May revision and affects how the district allocates dollars among M&O, capital, classroom-site and federal/state program funds.

Board debate and key concerns

Trustee Ben Rohrs (board member) pressed staff on why instructional spending had fallen while general administration and school administration line items rose. Rohrs said the public would ask why “instruction is down” while administrative costs were increasing. Ms. Berry and staff responded that personnel raises, insurance costs, superintendent-search expenses and some staffing mix changes contributed to the increase on the administrative side and that the district’s M&O covers both general and special-education costs.

Rohrs also raised a detailed concern about career and technical education (CTE) accounting, arguing some CTE expenditures resembled general-education electives rather than sequenced career-pathway costs that the state intends to support. The board exchange focused on: (a) whether CTE carryover and program spending meet state rules, (b) the difference between students who take single CTE courses and those who are program “completers,” and (c) how CUSD’s partnership with EVIT affects program approvals and spending timing.

District response and compliance

District leaders said the CTE budget shows $17 million overall (with roughly $10.4 million in carryover and the balance in projected income), and said many planned capital spends await EVIT approvals required for satellite-program expansions. Ms. Berry and other administrators emphasized that the district reports completer counts and is subject to audits; she told the board the district has had clean audits on its CTE funds.

Mr. Rohrs voted against the budget revision; the motion passed 4–1 by acclamation.

What the revision does not do

The amendment does not enact new long-term policy changes or raise taxes. Ms. Berry said the revision is an accounting and operational alignment step required by state reporting and carryover finalization.

Next steps

The district will post budget details and related AFR documents to its website in accordance with standard public reporting and will proceed to a May revision after final state and bond-sale updates.