Chandler Unified chief financial officer Lana Berry presents the district’s fiscal 2026 budget to the CUSD Governing Board at its June 25 meeting. The board approved a $393.3 million budget despite several question-mark amounts in limbo as state lawmakers hadn’t agreed on an Arizona budget yet.
Chandler Unified’s district budget for fiscal 206 — which starts July 1 — is set to be $393.3 million, or about $17 million less than fiscal 2025.
The $11 million drop in CUSD’s maintenance and operations budget — the main fund that covers salaries and the vast majority of other district operating expenses — accounts for much of the overall reduction.
The CUSD Governing Board granted preliminary approval to the budget at its June 25 meeting, though district chief financial officer Lana Berry told the board about several numbers and dollar totals that would be large swings for CUSD, depending on how state legislators finish with the state budget in the days and weeks ahead.
The district is poised to have a drop in capital project spending as well in fiscal 2026, from $30 million to about $26 million. Federal project funding, designated as “other than Impact Aid” on state forms, is dropping by almost $2.5 million in fiscal 2026 for CUSD.
On funding that’s calculated per student, Berry said, CUSD is working with an enrollment of about 41,000 students, or about 850 less than in fiscal 2025.
Berry said in cases where the district was uncertain how much money the state will allocate, the default budget procedure is to assume either flat-rate funding or, in some categories, none at all.
One example Berry gave of a pending legislative funding pool was a fund used to help public districts deal with inflation.
That would make a difference of about $1.8 million to CUSD, she said, and it was unclear as of June 25 if that pool would make it into the state fiscal 2026 budget. Berry also said the district’s “bond building fund is down to $19.1 million. That money is matched up to board-approved projects and preventive maintenance.
There is also about $14 million in uncommitted 2019 bond dollars CUSD is holding onto for essential expenses, Berry said, with air conditioning and roofing being the most frequently mentioned needs in that area.
The district plans to ask voters to approve a $271.5 million bond Nov. 4 after a $487 million proposed bond failed last November.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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