Gilbert Public Schools has taken the next step toward adopting its fiscal year 2026-27 budget, approving the advertisement of its proposed spending plan and scheduling a public hearing later this month.
The GPS Governing Board voted June 9 to authorize publication of the district's FY 2026-27 proposed budget summary and set a public hearing for June 23.
The budget advertisement will be posted on the Arizona Department of Education website, where state law requires districts to publish proposed budgets before adoption.
The proposed maintenance and operations budget limit is $273.43 million, down $1.98 million from the fiscal year 2026 revised No. 3 budget of $275.41 million.
The proposed unrestricted capital budget limit is $53.08 million, down $10.85 million from the fiscal year 2026 revised No. 3 budget of $63.93 million.
District administrators told board members the proposal reflects months of planning while lawmakers continue to work on the state budget.
"Please know that this is the proposed budget and we have to do a posting to advertise this proposed budget," Associate Superintendent for Business Services Bonnie Betz said. "Pursuant to the statute, regardless of what the legislature does, we will not be able to make any changes for the adopted budget unless there is language in statute that allows us to do so."
The proposed budget is built around district priorities outlined in Gilbert Public Schools' strategic operating plan and voter-approved override commitments. Those priorities include employee retention, school safety and maintaining class-size reduction efforts.
One of the most significant components is a proposed 3% pay increase for employees. Earlier this spring, the board approved a 2% increase, but district leadership is now recommending an additional percentage point.
"After a discussion with the leadership team, we felt like it was warranted to increase that by an additional percentage," Betz said.
The proposal also continues funding for school resource officers, social workers and behavioral health counselors while maintaining a $2 million annual allocation for class-size reduction efforts.
District officials are projecting enrollment declines to continue next year. The proposed budget assumes a loss of 1,200 students, including 600 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and 600 students in high school grades.
That translates to a reduction of 1,456 weighted students for state funding purposes.
Despite those enrollment challenges, administrators said current registration trends suggest the district may outperform its projections.
"Information to date indicates that we're actually doing better right now in our enrollment than we were a year from now," Betz said. "So it bodes well that we will be coming back to you with a budget revision in January or February that will reflect positively on our enrollment."
The district's maintenance and operations budget capacity is projected to decline by nearly $2 million year over year, largely due to enrollment losses.
At the same time, Gilbert Public Schools faces rising costs for employee health insurance, utilities, fuel and special education services.
The proposed budget includes approximately $5.6 million in non-discretionary cost increases, including a $3 million increase in medical insurance premiums and an estimated $1.3 million increase in fuel and utility costs.
To help offset those pressures, administrators identified about $7.65 million in projected savings through staffing reductions tied to enrollment declines, district office reductions, employee turnover savings and the closure of Pioneer Elementary School.
Betz said district leaders intentionally took a conservative approach while uncertainty remains over final state funding figures.
"We feel like this is a conservative budget with a lot of great possibilities in the future," she said.
The public hearing June 23 will provide board members and residents an opportunity to review the proposed budget before final adoption.
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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