Kerri Williams, one of the co-chairs of the 2026 Citizen Advisory Budget Committee, reads a summary of compensation requests at the Feb. 25 Chandler Unified Governing Board regular meeting. The board unanimously approved a 2026-27 compensation package that includes a base 2% increase to salaries for most of the district’s employees.
Despite announcing major staffing cuts last month, the Chandler Unified School District has determined those employees remaining will get a commonly implemented raise in the next school year.
The CUSD Governing Board unanimously approved a compensation package at its Feb. 25 regular meeting.
An executive session tied to the regular-meeting agenda vote was held the afternoon of Feb. 25, with the district’s finance and human resources directors presenting 2026-27 salary, salary schedule and compensation data and committee recommendations to the board, according to a staff report.
The board didn’t have many questions for the regular-meeting presenters, John Anguiano and Kerri Williams, who are the co-chairs of the 2026 Citizen Advisory Budget Committee.
The executive session’s stated goal was for the board to consider its position and instruct its representatives on negotiations with employee union organizations.
The CUSD Super Q Committee, per the report, is the district’s negotiating team, comprised of certified, support and administrative staff.
Memos in the agenda packet reference a 2% raise for all district support and certified staff and administrators, as recommended by the Super Q Committee.
There is also a list of bonus provisions and other compensation. Those include an early-signing 2% one-time stipend for employees who sign and return contracts within five business days of issuance, and a 1% stipend for CUSD “Cabinet” (upper-level district administration) members who do the same.
The raise is for an amount typical over the past several CUSD school years. But this year, compensation announcements and final decisions come about a month after three contentious meetings that solidified which of more than 100 positions were eliminated in order to cut $12 million from the 2026-27 budget.
The board’s next regular meeting is Wednesday, March 25.
Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
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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