Chandler schools’ budget revision shows enrollment drop
Courtesy of Chandler USD
Even though Chandler Unified revised its overall maintenance and operations budget up by more than $2 million due to state aid earlier this month, plummeting enrollment shows how much the district is losing in current-year per-student funding.
When Chandler Unified’s finance boss made budget presentations to the Governing Board in June, there were many unsettled totals, formulas and unresolved state and federal funding questions.
In fact, even in July, when the board had to vote on a final fiscal 2025-26 budget, there were still a few funds where more direction was needed.
So it was not really much of a surprise on Sept. 10 when Lana Berry, the district’s chief finance officer, said it was time for Chandler’s first budget revision of 2025-26, with nearly all questions finally answered.
“We usually do not have a presentation in September on the budget,” Berry told the board. “You (the board) just adopted a budget in July. There were a couple of budget items that were not included, due to the state budget. I told you there would be a couple of updates, in Prop 123 and then in capital and free-and-reduced weighting, so here those are. There will be many more revisions in December; these mostly catch up to the state formulas and state decisions.”
Berry said there will still be budget revisions in December and May of this school year, in accordance with state regulations.
She reminded the public how much of school funding is tied to the metrics of district enrollment. Chandler’s average daily membership, or ADM, has dropped continuously over the past five years, with the district estimating its enrollment would be down to about 39,136 at this point in the school year.
Projections were somewhat close, Berry said, as CUSD’s most recent ADM count is 38,807 — 329 less than projected.
She said the “true ADM” reduction over the past year was 1,179 students. That means the district’s maintenance and operations budget for fiscal 2025-26, which is based on current ADM, is revised down by more than $1.9 million to about $239 million.
“M & O budgets are based on current-year funding,” Berry explained. “Capital and classroom site funds are based on last year’s funding.”
In special education funding, Chandler’s budget is being revised down by about $336,000, with about 38 fewer students enrolled in those categories than projected.
“We are only a few students down in some types of help, but the amount of weight each one carries, equals more dollars,” Berry said.
CUSD does come out ahead on M&O revisions overall, Berry said. Between almost $2.85 million in supplemental state aid, almost $1.1 million in “district additional assistance” and more than $700,000 in free-and-reduced weighted one-time aid, Chandler’s overall M&O budget will be revised upward by about $2.78 million.
Board president Patti Serrano asked if the reductions to special education are more due to students leaving the district, versus “testing out” or otherwise no longer requiring the same services. Berry and Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Fletcher said that data wasn’t available at that moment, but Fletcher will do her best to find out as much as possible.
Watch Berry’s entire presentation and board questions by clicking here.
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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