UPDATE 1/21:
After the school board voted to table the discussion to further cut more positions one week ago, leaders met on Wednesday morning and decided on those positions.
The Chandler Unified School District is projecting a $12 million shortfall in its budget for the coming school year as enrollment continues to decline.
In a meeting that lasted hours on Wednesday, January 14, the board voted to cut a majority of the positions proposed by the district.
The positions cut amounted to about $10 million, but the district still had a $2 million deficit.
In the board meeting in January 14th, the board wanted to push back the discussion on potentially cutting the elementary and junior high technology and media specialists and teacher positions. Many had spoken out against these positions being cut.
In an early morning board meeting on January 21, the board spared those positions for now and directed the district to find other ways to make up the $2 million deficit, wanting to prioritize cuts to district-level positions as opposed to positions that are more “student-facing.”
It was a narrow 3-2 vote to move forward with the decision. The district has a deadline of February 4 to bring up other options.
UPDATE:
The Chandler Unified School District Governing Board approved "the majority" of the Staffing for Enrollment proposal, while additional discussion is needed for adjustments to media specialists and tech positions.
"District leadership emphasized that the proposed plan focuses on alignment—not reduction—and is intended to preserve educational quality while ensuring long-term financial stability," a spokesperson said early Thursday morning.
Read the full statement from CUSD at the bottom of this story.
Original story:
With a budget shortfall of $12 million next school year, the Chandler Unified School District board faced the emotions of teachers and parents over a proposal to eliminate and combine certain jobs at their schools for the 2026-2027 school year.
“If you combine our librarian and tech teacher for a career literacy position, people will leave. If our deans travel between schools, families will leave,” said one woman who commented during public comment.
The district says about 120 positions need to be adjusted to make ends meet, or about two percent of overall staffing. Jobs like Media and Technology Specialists and certain administrative roles would go away and be combined with other existing positions. Reductions in work hours, stipends and department budgets are also included.
Despite all this, district spokesperson Stephanie Ingersoll insists there will not be any job cuts per se.
“I want to make very, very clear that the current openings will be available for 26-27 will be available to everyone impacted,” said Ingersoll.
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Marysol Sanabria Galvez is a technology specialist who would be directly impacted by the proposal. She says she does a lot more than just teach on campus; she helps run the school news and student council. Giving those tasks to a teacher, she argues, would scuttle those programs.
“My argument is that you’re cutting from students, you’re taking away from students. So if you can make cuts, why can’t it be from somewhere else?” said Sanabria Galvez.
Ingersoll says it all boils down to a decline in enrollment, all due to an aging population, high home prices, and low birth rates. Chandler Unified has lost about three percent of its students, and funding depends on enrollment.
“This allows us to move the district in the most fiscally responsible way with taxpayer dollars, maintains us being the district of choice,” said Ingersoll.
One parent blames school choice for putting the district in this position, and he worries about his son.
“My son specifically does have, like, special kind of guidance that he needs, and some of the teachers that are most involved in that are the specialist teachers and the dean,” said Beau Cross.
As of Wednesday night around 10 p.m., the board was still discussing whether to approve the whole of the proposal. Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, CUSD released the following statement about the proposal, and what was approved later Wednesday night:
At the January 14th Board meeting, the Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) Governing Board approved the majority of the district’s Staffing for Enrollment proposal. Elements of the proposal that were approved include administrative cuts, reductions to department budgets, a shift in certain funding sources, adjustments to deans and coach/specialist roles, and applying established staffing guidelines to provide schools with optimal staffing based on enrollment. The approved parts of the plan equate to roughly $10 million. Current staff impacted will have access to CUSD job opportunities in FY26-27.
While a decision vote was taken, Board members requested additional discussion and information regarding proposed adjustments related to media specialists and tech positions at the elementary level and media specialists at the junior high level. Additionally, the Board has asked for possible alternatives. District leadership will look to the Board for guidance as alternative approaches are considered to achieve the additional $2 million in reductions to total the $12 million in budget solutions needed to ensure the district’s long-term financial stability.
District leadership emphasized that the proposed plan focuses on alignment—not reduction—and is intended to preserve educational quality while ensuring long-term financial stability.
While CUSD remains the second-largest school district in Arizona, the district has experienced a decade-long pattern of smaller incoming elementary cohorts compared to graduating secondary classes. For the upcoming school year, CUSD projects an overall enrollment decline of approximately 3 percent. The approved plan ensures the district will continue to:
- Protect class sizes by maintaining the 24:1 staffing ratio
- Uphold excellence through high academic achievement and strong extracurricular programs
- Foster innovation by reallocating resources to meet evolving student needs and required standards
- Support staff with competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain top talent
Stakeholders can view the January 14 study session and Board meeting on the CUSD Governing Board YouTube Channel. January 14, 2026, Chandler USD Governing Board Study Session. Additionally, the District has an FAQ with further information.
