Property owners within Tucson Unified School District can expect a lower school tax rate this year, while the district will still operate a higher budget than initially proposed earlier this summer.
The TUSD governing board approved an $808 million budget Tuesday for fiscal year 2022-2023, more than the $660 million budget originally proposed.
Board members also approved lowering the district’s property tax rate from $2.66 to $2.55 per $100 of assessed value.
District officials said those changes were made possible because of higher investments for K-12 education in the state budget as well as Gov. Doug Ducey’s elimination of the state equalization fund, a statewide property tax that previously helped fund K-12 education.
“The Legislature has decided to pick up the tab and move that off the books of the taxpayers across the state for this year,” Ricky Hernandez, TUSD’s chief financial officer, told the governing board during Tuesday’s meeting.
The state budget, approved in late June, included $1 billion in new money for K-12 education in Arizona.
School districts are typically not allowed to approve a higher budget than originally proposed, but Hernandez said the state made an exception to that rule this year for districts to take into account the legislative changes.
TUSD’s approved budget includes $370 million for its maintenance and operation fund, which covers teacher and staff salaries.
It also sets $15 as the new minimum wage rate, up from the $13.50 that the board approved in the previous school year.
“I definitely want to thank everyone who advocated with the state Legislature around the state of Arizona to really bring in some additional funding that is much needed to our public schools and our public education system,” said board member Ravi Shah.
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