HOW OUR BUDGET IS ADOPTED
2027 Proposed Budget Notice of Public Hearing
HOW DYSART IS FUNDED
The Dysart Unified School District receives its funding from three main sources: the State of Arizona (49%), the Federal Government (16%), and other local revenues, which include property taxes (35%).
Federal money is designated for such things as special education services and to support the learning needs of students from low-income families using Title I funds. That money can only be used for specifically allowed purposes according to grant requirements to support those programs.
State and local funding is broken down into two primary sources of funding: Maintenance & Operations (M&O), and Capital. The M&O Fund is the District’s operating fund which accounts for necessary operating expenses such as salaries, supplies, transportation services, and utilities. Capital expenses are durable items such as buildings, furniture, equipment, technology, textbooks, and buses.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES
Override Information
The district currently has a 15% M&O Override helping to maintain current class sizes, keep teacher salaries competitive, support reading and math, maintains arts, PE and athletics programs, and provide full-day kindergarten.
Bond Information
Dysart had a bond question on the 2006 ballot that was approved by voters. The bond was approved for up to $190 million, however, the district only ended up selling bonds for $122 million. Bonds are typically sold and then paid back over a range of 1 to 20 years.
OVERALL SPENDING SUMMARY
71.6%
Classroom Spending & Support
19.9%
Maintenance, Transportation & Food Services
8.5%
Administration
THE PROCESS BY WHICH DYSART SPENDS MONEY
The Dysart School District goes through a very extensive process whenever money is spent. A request to purchase a good and/or service is submitted and then reviewed and approved at various checkpoints to ensure compliance with all the rules and regulations regarding the purchase. After approval the request is converted into a purchase order and transmitted to the vendor.
Even with all the different approvers, the purchase continues to be reviewed once the goods or services are provided to ensure that the district receives what was ordered and only pays the agreed upon price.
Annually, all expenses are subject to internal and external reviews by both the District and an external auditor, who analyzes Dysart’s internal “controls”, which are procedures put in place to protect the District’s assets. The District’s independent audit of its financial statements has consistently received an unmodified opinion, which indicates they are free of material misstatements.
The chart to the right represents the Average Teacher Salary of $68,186, per the Auditor General Spending Analysis, which includes Classroom Site Fund additional compensation.
Click to view Auditor General Spending Analysis
With the Governing Board approval of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 proposed budget, the average salary of all teachers employed in the FY 2027 is $53,817. As a comparison, the average salary of all teachers employed in FY 2026 was $54,716, a decrease in average teacher salary of $899, a two percent change.
