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HOUSING ROLLER COASTER / P. 20 From Uptown to Downtown, covering Chandler like the sun.
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Inside This Week
Classroom spending increased last school year in Chandler BY PAUL MARYNIAK AND KEN SAIN Arizonan Staff
NEWS..............................12 CUSD faces losing some counselor funding.
COMMUNITY..............23 Chandler circus family slates Big Top shows.
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yrene, Tempe Union and Chandler Unified school districts spent more money in the classroom last school year than in 2020-21 and students out-tested the passing averages on assessment tests for both the state and similarly sized districts. Data showing the three districts’ spending and student achievement are contained in the annual report on Arizona school districts released earlier this month by the state Auditor General. Although the percentage of their total
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Chandler musicians perform in symphony. REAL ESTATE................................... 20 COMMUNITY.................................23 OPINION......................................... 26 BUSINESS.........................................27 SPORTS............................................ 30 GETOUT.......................................... 34 CLASSIFIEDS....................................37
budgets for instruction spending last school year fell slightly below that expenditure for 2020-21, all three districts easily made up for that in total classroom spending, the report shows. Overall, Kyrene’s total classroom spending comprised 71.9% of all expenditures in 2021-22 while Tempe Union’s overall classroom spending equaled 68.4%, according to the report. Chandler Unified spent 72.1% of its budget in the classroom. The Auditor General breaks down classroom spending into three categories. The largest involves instruction, which it defines as the cost of “teachers, teachers’
aides, substitute teachers, graders, guest lecturers, instructional supplies and aids, field trips, athletics, co-curricular activities, and tuition.” In this area, the report says Kyrene’s instruction spending of 58.8% was below the 2020-21 percentage of 61.9% – reflecting a statewide trend that appeared in over half of all Arizona’s school districts last school year. Tempe Union’s 52.5% instruction spending dipped from 53.4% in 2020-21. The report said 58.2% of CUSD’s 2021-22
see SCHOOLS page 6
Chandler center addresses big need in building industry BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
GETOUT....................... 34
Sunday, March 19, 2023
FREE | chandlernews.com
severe labor shortage has caused delays to building projects around the nation and St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Companies is doing something about it with its first Innovation and Craft Workforce Center in West Chandler. The $10 million investment is meant to help train future workers, bringing more electricians, carpenters, plumbers and others into the workforce. “We noticed the same deficiency in craft workers and the gap between what the overall need is in
the local market, and the supply of workers,” said Eric Fields, the vice president of operations for the company. “ “So we wanted to create a space that we could attract that talent that might not be interested in the construction industry, have a space to be able to train them, to give them the skills they need to pursue a career in construction.” The new training center is partnering with East Valley Institute of Technology to expose young people to possible careers in the construction field.
see BUILDINGS page 4
Oscar Lozano uses a nail gun to show Ronnie Minyard how to fasten down a prefabricated building piece at the McCarthy Building Companies’ new Innovation and Craft Workforce Center in Chandler. (David Minton/Arizonan Staff Photographer)
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