>Chandler Unified School District, will give teachers a 2% raise

>Chandler Unified School District, will give teachers a 2% raise Teacher salaries will increase by 2%, totaling $21.3 billion Under the budget, Wednesday night the Chandler Unified School District…

Chandler Unified School District to give teachers 2% pay raise Teachers' salaries will be increased by 2%, totaling $21.3 billion under a budget, the Chandler Unified School District proposed a bill Wednesday night. If approved next month, the city's second-largest school district will have a budget increase for 35 teachers and eight bus drivers starting July 1. The district expects to have between 500 and 700 more students next school year, bringing enrollment to 39,500. The increased numbers could bring up to $4.2 million in state funding. Treasurer Joel #27779;s said the Legislature has increased 2012-13 CUSD funding by nearly $290 million. But Wirth said the additional funding won't be enough to repay the "structural deficit" of $3.6 billion in cuts to the state education budget over the past four years. As a result, the district plans to ask voters in November to add a 15% budget increase. If approved, it will raise $280,000 per year for four years, starting on July 1, 2013. The increased budget would give teachers an additional 1% raise, boosting wages that have stagnated over the past few years. The district's preliminary budget includes $1.5 million, starting with entering third grade, with new "mobile reading" mandates effective in 2013-14. "The good news is it has a $1.5 million budget," Voss said.