TUSD board raises district budget to $807 million

The governing board approved the first round of budget revisions in a 4-1 vote Tuesday evening, with board member Sadie Shaw casting the lone no vote.

Shaw told the Star after the meeting that she didn't have enough information to feel confident voting for the revisions, something also raised by community member Lillian Fox during the public hearing before the vote.

"I feel like we're getting a limited amount of information to be financial stewards, which is what we were elected to do," Shaw said.

In 2024, the governing board received a budget book generated through ClearGov software that laid out exactly where money was being allocated. But TUSD Chief Financial Officer Ricky Hernandez said the district had to cut the program as part of budget cuts.

Hernandez said the cost of the software license, combined with the fact that administrative expenses tend to draw community scrutiny, led the district to eliminate the program along with other cuts.

Hernandez told the board that the budget books they've gotten in the past only compare one year's planned budget against another's. He said he could do the same for fiscal years 25, 26 and 27; however, he couldn’t display how much the district actually spent in 2025-2026, since it's still paying off bills from last school year.

"We won't be finished paying bills until Aug. 31," he said. Arizona school districts have 60 days to pay off the previous fiscal year's bills. The fiscal year for TUSD begins July1.

Shaw continued pushing back, saying the board couldn't make informed decisions without a more detailed breakdown of the budget. Hernandez said he had previously received feedback from the board that longer breakdowns weren't helpful.

“In defense of my department, I have asked this board previously to provide me feedback as to what type of quarterly, periodic, monthly financial reporting (to do),” he said. He added that he didn't want to assume the board wanted a return to the format used by the former executive director of finance, whose reports he understood were not well received.

“I can provide them any type of information that they want,” Hernandez told the Star Wednesday. “As of today, other than this budget book, there hasn't really been any real feedback from any board member, frankly including Ms. Shaw, to say it'd be helpful to see X … I have no context from them, and so when I get up to do my presentations for the board like I did last night, I'm giving them information that I believe is important.”

He said if board members wanted more specific information, his department would provide it as long as that was communicated.

The budget adopted July 14 totaled about $801 million, $6 million less than the revised figure. Most of the additional money comes from bonds, which are designated for specific projects.

"For example, Sahuaro High School's football field is about 90% done, but we haven't paid 100% of its bills," Hernandez said. "As that contractor continues its work, we roll over that balance to this fiscal year, and we will continue to pay the bills."

The board will vote on another set of revisions in December, Hernandez said.