CHANDLER, Ariz. — Teachers in the Chandler Unified School District can expect to see a bigger raise in their paychecks this school year.
The district's Governing Board voted Wednesday to adjust employee salaries after CUSD was recently allocated more funds from the state.
Lawmakers passed a state budget earlier this summer that included a $1 billion investment in new education funding.
Certified staff members in the East Valley district will now receive a 7% raise in their salary, which is 5% more than what teachers had originally been given when budget matters were being decided earlier this year.
Teachers can also expect to receive an extra stipend of $1,500.
Chandler's support staff will get paid an additional $2 per hour and can expect to get an extra retention stipend worth $1,000.
According to district officials, Chandler's base support funding increased by about $13.8 million and its additional assistance fund increased by nearly $2.5 million after the state budget was passed.
District leaders said they're hopeful that the salary raises will help teachers adjust to the rising costs of goods observed throughout the Valley in recent months.
"Although this isn't going to match what the inflation rate is in Arizona, hopefully, it will provide some relief to our staff members of all employee groups," said CUSD board member Lara Bruner.
The district's salary adjustments should take effect by mid-August.
Other school districts throughout the Valley have been trying to decide how they might spend the extra money that's been allocated by the state.
Mesa Public Schools, the largest district in the Valley, expects to receive more than $30 million in additional funding for the upcoming school year.
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