Maricopa Unified School District’s governing board approved Wednesday its proposed 2026 fiscal year budget. Board members highlighted investments in staff and facilities while also boasting a “significant decrease” in local property tax rates.
Chief Financial Officer Jacob Harmon presented the proposed $138 million budget, which includes funding for teacher pay increases, new staffing, capital improvements and school construction, paid for in large part by voter-approved bond measures. Despite the increased investment, Harmon reported that MUSD’s total tax rate is expected to drop by more than 81 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
The total tax rate is projected to fall from 7.43% to 6.61%, which means taxpayers will save $81.81 per $100,000 in property taxes.
“This reduction reflects rising property values and our commitment to responsible budgeting while continuing to invest in the quality of education,” Harmon said in a press release yesterday.
During the Wednesday school board meeting, Harmon explained that the maintenance and operations budget includes a 5% salary increase for all staff, a teacher base salary increase from $54,000 to $56,000 and no increase in employee medical insurance premiums. The district is also planning for $2.6 million in additional staffing to address continued enrollment growth.
Harmon noted that the Arizona legislature hasn’t passed a state budget, which means MUSD has to make some educated guesses on how much it’ll receive from Phoenix. The district is using preliminary assumptions, including a 2% increase to the base per-pupil funding rate and changes to one-time add-ons from last year.
The approved budget also includes a $5.6 million levy under the “adjacent ways” fund for road and utility improvements near new school sites. This includes additions to Farrell Road to reach one of two new K-8 schools.
A public hearing and final budget adoption are slated for the next school board meeting, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. The full budget will be available online June 16.
