The Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board unanimously approved a smaller maintenance and operations budget and a larger unrestricted capital budget for fiscal year 2023-24 at its June 20 meeting.
The maintenance and operations budget of $286.22 million is $15.74 million less than the current revised budget for fiscal year 2022-23, but that fact is deceiving. The difference is from the budget having $21.19 million less in budget balance carry forward from the current year.
The budget balance carry forward is the unexpended balance at the end of a prior fiscal year that has been rolled forward to the next fiscal year.
With the impact of the carry forward removed and all other considerations made, the M&O budget actually grows $5.47 million from $268.77 million to $274.24 million.
The approved unrestricted capital budget goes from $46.1 million to $52.78 million on the strength of the Arizona Legislature approving an added $8.76 million in one-time capital funding.
For maintenance and operations — the budget that pays for day-to-day operations of the district and most of its salaries — the district approved pay raises to exempt and hourly staff that will add $9.81 million to the budget.
Its additional discretionary expenditures that come up M&O include a Title IX coordinator, money for new teacher mentors, junior high assistant principals being moved to a 12-month pay schedule, additional money set aside for hard-to-hire positions, the addition of 12 art teachers and additional art supplies. Together, those discretionary expenditures total $3.78 million.
On the capital side, the district plans to use the money for new adopted curriculum, a Chromebook and computer refresh, athletic equipment and uniforms, library books and media, elementary-school reading materials, districtwide technology and operations, and various schools’ requests.
The capital budget pays for items like buildings, maintenance, transportation, curriculum and technology.
The total planned is $18.84 million, leaving $7.99 million that can be held in reserve against unforeseen expenses, such as an HVAC unit needing replacement.
The district anticipates its average teacher salary growing 3% to $68,094.
Associate Superintendent Bonnie Betz said assessed valuation has grown again in the district, which will allow the district’s primary tax rate to fall.
Betz said a conservative estimate of the overall tax rate shows it falling from $5.8127 per $100 assessed valuation to $5.7513, a change of just over 6 cents per $100 assessed valuation. That includes the primary rate, money for a voter-approved 15% maintenance and operations override and for a voter-approved bond. The latter two are covered in the secondary property tax rate.
In other business:
The board edited and unanimously approved its pro-statement for the election publicity pamphlet on its maintenance and operations override continuance question that will be on the November ballot.
The board approved on a 4-1 vote an agreement with the Arizona Risk Retention Trust to provide policy services, which currently come from the Arizona School Boards Association. Board Member Jill Humpherys voted in dissent, citing the trust having a conflict of interest and ASBA having an elected board and officers from the school districts it serves.
The board unanimously approved changing the Arizona Department of Education profile of the Gilbert Global Academy from offering K-12 online instruction to 7-12 instruction.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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