001Good evening. Thank you. Thank you so much for all quieting down so nicely. I appreciate it. Um this is it is June 2nd, 2026. This is our board of education general meeting at 7 o'clock. Um we're going to go ahead and make introductions. First of all, uh PTA. Do we have any PTA? Of course we do. Please introduce yourselves, ladies. >> I'm Liz, region five chair. >> I'm Amy, your council president. Jones, region five. Thank you for being here. GA >> granite office professionals. Let's see who middle managers um GESPA uh granted education [clears throat] foundation. I don't see anybody and it's summer. Everybody's gone. Um, and um, I didn't I also did not see any elected officials or but will we can we have all of our building administrators stand and be recognized? [applause]
002Thank you for being here. All right, we're going to um ask Chris Larson to come up and do the pledge of allegiance for us. I'm sorry. Before you do that, Chris, can we uh Sorry. We need to say who's here. My bad, please. >> Julie Jackson, >> Kim Chandler, >> Connie Burgess, >> Chris, Karen Winder, Todd Hub, Mitch Nerden, >> and Nicole McDerman. My apologies you guys. Thank you. >> Please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [cough] >> It's summer. It's the last week of school for me. [laughter] All right, we're gonna go ahead and invite up. >> Is Justin here or we just gonna Who's Who's introducing the
003reverence? >> You are Adam. Come on up. >> Hi friends. I'm so Thank you so much for letting me be here. Uh more importantly, uh letting our performing arts uh be here today. Um Cottonwood's been on a roll. Uh we just uh last month, a month and a half ago, we secured our third consecutive state victory uh in state drama for both uh our individual events and uh third consecutive state victory for our one act um carrying a proud tradition of fine excellence in performing arts at Cottonwood High School. Um, and we were we're so grateful uh that uh we've been invited uh to show a scene uh today from our award-winning region and state first place uh one act the a scene from the little prince the most published non-fiction book uh in the
004history of the world. So uh this is great. This this show to is acting and puppetry um and we're going to show you just a small little glimpse of that. So thank you. [applause] I traveled onward and soon noticed a lonely flickering light. And there on a planet even smaller than my own stor winter faithfully lighting the street lamp. Good morning. >> Why didn't you just put your lamp out? >> THOSE ARE THE ORDERS. COME ON THEN. >> What are the orders? >> THE ORDERS ARE THAT I OOPS. >> Good evening. >> But why have you just lighted it again? >> Those are the orders. >> I don't understand. >> There's nothing to understand. Orders are orders. I follow a terrible profession. In the old days, it was reasonable. I put my lamp out in
005the morning, and in the evening, I'd light it again. I have the rest of the day for relaxation, and the rest of the night for sleep. The orders have changed since then. >> GOOD MORNING. THE ORDERS have not been changed. Now, that's the tragedy. You see, year after year, the planet has turned faster and faster, AND THE ORDERS HAVE NOT BEEN CHANGED. NOW, once every minute, I have to light my lamp and put it out again. [gasps] >> That's very funny. They only last a minute here. >> It's not funny at all. >> Good evening. While we've BEEN TALKING TOGETHER, A WHOLE MONTH HAS GONE BY. >> A whole month. I could tell you a way you could rest whenever you want to. >> Oh, tell me, tell me. I always want to rest. >>
006Good evening. Your planet is so small that three steps would take you all the way around. So, all you have to do is walk around slowly, very slowly. The last as long as you'd like. I DO IT ON MY PLANET all the time to make the sunset. >> That doesn't do me much good, I'm afraid. If there's one thing I like to do in this life, it's sleep. And you can't sleep if you're all walking. >> Good evening. >> And you're unlucky. >> I am unlucky. Good morning. Good evening. Good morning. Good evening. Any [applause] [applause] parents or friends here? Will you guys also stand and be recognized? Thank you for supporting your students. >> [applause] >> All right. Thank you so much you guys. That was amazing. That's so much fun. Um we're going
007to go ahead and move on to our good news minute. Um Julie, will you start? lots of good news at the end of the year. Um, including things like our opportunity to um go to our graduation reviews with our high schools and have our counselor's account for every single student in the school for us. Um, they know exactly students who aren't going to be graduating, they know exactly why that is and they can talk to us about exactly what has gone on with every single individual student. And I appreciate that attention to the individual child um so much and also just the pure joy of being at graduation. Um not just graduation but also at so many events in the elementary and junior high and watching all of our kids have a momentous, you know,
008big moment. Um and I just wanted to make take a minute to talk about today a bunch of us got to be with our teachers. um at an event where we were doing some professional development and I just want to say again, holy cow, our teachers are just such incredible professionals. They are experts at their craft. They are people who can speak about things um like scientists um and and then they can come back and talk about the same thing like a social worker. I mean teachers understand these things from all angles and I really enjoyed being able to spend time today talking pedagogy with them. It was really phenomenal. So our teachers are great. Thanks Kim. >> Thank you. May it's been probably the busiest month of the year so far for me. Um
009so many meetings and events going on but I would like to briefly just recognize two things. Um first of all I'll reference graduations again. all the work that has gone into graduations, the graduation reviews, everything that goes with that. There's a lot of time that gets put in um and just pulling off these events that are so exciting for the kids. I don't have an official number, but I we graduated thousands of students last week. Um I was examining my right hand over the weekend and I'm pretty sure that from all that hand shaking, I'm now like a half an inch longer on this side. I can't be the only one, right? really like your shoulder starts to hurt. It's a lot of kids. Um, so just appreciation to everyone who was involved in those.
010I also went to Armstrong Elementary to try to see them break a Guinness World Record earlier in the month. The world speed record for a Lego train that they built. It was a beautiful day. The kids and teachers had tons of excitement. Um, it was really fun like being there trying to see this world record being made. Unfortunately, they hit some snags and they had to reschedule. The train didn't work as expected, but as I shared with the Hunter High graduates on Friday, you only fail when you give up. So, I hope that they keep going and hopefully Grace will keep me in the loop to see that when they try that again. And that's all I have. Thanks, Kim. Connie, >> yes, the [clears throat] graduations were wonderful. Um, and this year the uh,
011Granite Connections went to uh, Cottonwood High and had their ceremony there. The last couple of years they've just done it in their school. Um, so it they've graduated more. What an awesome challenge that is. And the students responded really well to them. Also, it was the end of the year for uh the the musicals or not the music, the concerts from choir and band and those things wonderfully to go to. Uh the um foundation helps have uh those students who probably have difficulty in their life and yet they maintain and come to school and do the best they can. The foundation will uh try and honor them. and it was a a wonderful student uh this year from Taylor'sville High and the excitement and the gratitude that he showed to receive things that will help
012him go forward in his life. Um, it's it's great what the foundation does and thanks to all the teachers for this wonderful past year and good luck this summer and getting ready, I guess, for next year. Thanks, Connie. Chris, um, I had the privilege of attending three graduations, Cypress High, Hunter High, and, um, Granite Transition Services, GTS. And um I just I don't know if anyone knows what Grand Transition Services is, but it's our um kiddos who get to have four more years of eligibility to be in our school system until they're 22. And this is one of my favorite graduations because they are so excited about life. They're so excited to learn new skills. Um they job shadow. They most of them are um learning to ride the bus and they have their bus
013passes and um it encompasses our whole district. So they're students from almost every high school there. And I love that graduation so much because they are cheering for each other. they they are just bright lights and it's it was just such a special ceremony to be at and I was really um privileged to be there and I just wanted to thank all our teachers. um the end of year activities get crazy and busy and there's performances and and so many things and our teachers just put in every last to the last second they're just there doing everything and those graduation ceremonies themselves take so much effort and so I just want to thank all of our teachers and staff who use all their time and talents to just get our kids to the finish line
014and to cheer them on and I appreciate them so much. Um, and one other thing I was going to >> Nope, that's it. Thanks, Chris. Go ahead, Karen. Okay. There's already been made mention um, in my family, we call Maycember because it feels like December, the busyiness of December, but in May. But I think in some ways May is actually busier. Um we there's been made mention of graduation reviews and I want to make sure those listening in and those who are here understand what that is. So about a week before graduation um the there's a big there's a graduation review is what we call it and the board members that serve that network are invited the entire admin team of that um of the high school as well as all the counselors just kind
015of gather around and and we go through the data of the graduates um that year and see we learn everything from their highest achievements how how many AP courses, how many concurrence, how much scholarship money that graduation class is bringing in. And then we also hear about those stories of those kids who may be crawling over the finish line, maybe being drugged over, you know, by their counselors and their parents. We hear about stories of kids who are turning in their makeup packets the morning of graduation so they qualify to walk. And so we get to see the it just is such a wide range of of everybody's story, but at the end of the day, what's awesome is every kid gets a cap and gown and every kid ends up with that diploma that
016gets that qualifies to walk across the stage. So that is always one of my um favorite meetings of the year because it's it's not just the ceremonial stuff. Graduations of course are fun um but we get to actually learn about the graduating class which I enjoy. on to graduations. Kim was talking about her hand. What actually gets the most sore for me are my cheeks. So if you because kids get up there and they're so nervous that I try to smile at everyone like it's going to be okay. You're not going to trip, you know. Um and so to smile for an hour, go home and try it. Your cheeks hurt, you know. Um Granger had 650 graduates and it's an hour of standing there greeting one by one. So, um, anyway, I just I
017it it's been a pleasure, um, to serve, uh, and be able to recognize these kids. Uh, Granger Heist was a little surreal for me because my baby graduated and it's also my final graduation. And so, it was uh, it was pretty special for me. Um, [clears throat] Granger also, Granger Network had a Granger Network night um, that was fun to attend and that's where all the elementaryaries and the junior highs come. They set up tables. You get to visit. Each of them have games or things you can do, little prizes you can win. Um it's free. It's free food. Bring your family. Have a fun dinner. Uh a free fun dinner. Um and so that was that was kind of a fun thing that's happened. I've also been able to attend like Connie some choir
018concerts, end of year choir concerts, end of year track meets once again busy. Most of all, thank you to our counselors for helping kids finish the c the the line. And also can't forget our teachers, our amazing teachers who work so hard to get our kids qualified for graduation or qualified for the next year of their education. And so I hope that you're kicking up your heels a little bit and relaxing and not thinking about next year yet. Just go enjoy your June and refill your tanks. So thank you. >> Thanks Karen. Um a lot of mine have been already um talked about tonight. End of your concerts have been delightful. end of year performances. Um the graduation reviews, I just want to add uh echo what Karen said and the graduation reviews are amazing.
019The thing that amazes me is that you know it's one thing as teachers we get to know our students uh on a on a very in a very different way. But our counselors, it's amazing to me to sit there in those graduation reviews and sit there with those counselors and have them tell us about these students in a very personal way and them understanding that. And these counselors work really hard and I think to me they're the kind of the unsung heroes of this. They're kind of the behind the scenes. Okay, what can we do to get you across graduation to across this line? And it's amazing to to do that. Um my my baby graduated this year and I um it was a a whole new experience for me. But I do I I
020really appreciated the graduations and those people who put so much work into it. Um and I a fun thing that I think a lot of the schools started doing, not everybody did it, but um Dr. How was telling us that more are trying to do this uh graduation walks where they have the uh graduates come and walk through the halls of the elementary schools and then they even came to the junior high this year and it was really fun to watch those kids um hug their hug their older brother or sister. Sorry. Oh my gosh, you guys. um hug their older brother or sister or or their friend down the road just because okay, this is my goal. This is where I'm going to be in four years. So, um that was really that was
021really a highlight. I did also get to go stop by the CTE house and um see those kids who were so proud. There were so many kids that were stopping by when we were there to see those kids and and the proud work that they did on that CTE house where they they built by hand and we talked about it and how like this is some of the best built houses that you're ever going to find because those the standard that they have for these houses is incredible and I can attest to that. Um they're just amazing. So um kudos to those teachers and kudos to those kids that worked so hard to build those. That's my report and we'll go ahead and wrap up our good news minutes. Um we're going to move on
022to our um item number five which is our recognitions and we're going to invite Dr. Converse to come up and Tim and I can't say your last name. I'm so sorry. >> It took me a while to be able to pronounce it. Chuck. >> Okay. >> Well done. [laughter] >> Okay. I'm gonna have Tim um read about all of these uh winners and then as he reads um about if you're here, please come on up and what we'll have you do is walk around and shake all of the board members hands and then stay up there for a photo at the end. So you're going to have to wait for everyone to come up. Okay. >> Okay. >> And it's Jackie back. Well done. Okay. Good evening everyone. Thank you for very much for coming
023this evening. tonight. Um, well, when we first started this, a little bit of background, I I tried to put together a list of all the accomplishments for the fine arts, and I asked all the teachers to send me the names of the students who had placed at the UHSAA contest and the winners, and all the names they sent me would have put us in violation of the fire code of the room. So, that's how many students have placed and done so well this year in the arts, just to give you an idea of of what we're dealing with. So, tonight's we're going to honor a few of those tonight. There is also a slide deck that's going to go online that everyone can go take a look at with all the names of all the
024schools and all the kids and all their accomplishments. Okay. All right. Let's start tonight with Hunter High School. U Miss Chery Parks, please stand. Miss Parks is is over at Hunter High School. She is the theater director over there. And this year, her women in war production took first place in region and second place at the 5A state contest. These are some of the cast and crew members. Congratulations, guys. Come [applause] on down. [snorts] Congratulations. >> Oh yeah. And just as a side note, as they're coming over to get their picture taken, I actually got a chance to see the production this year. It was a phenomenal production. Absolutely amazing. >> All right. Congratulations, guys. [applause] If any parents of the Hunter High School students are here tonight, please stand to be recognized. [applause] Thank
025you so much for letting your your students give up a lot of time to the theater. All right, next. When I say her name, please come on down to be recognized. Uh Tristan Sharp from Cottonwood High School. Tristan placed third at the state competition for the classical scene, The Taming of the Shrew. Come on over this way. He graduates in 20 26 and will attend the University of Utah in the fall to study theater and mechanical engineering. Grace Warbush, his partner, [applause] also plays third at the state competition for the classical scene, The Taming of the Shrew, and she'll be a senior in the fall of 26 here. And elected vice president of the Cottonwood Theater Society, Angley Call, come on down. >> [applause] >> third place at the state competition for Panama for co-creating
026the original Panama Sister Movie Night. She is a sophomore and is elected to the social chair of the Cottonwood Theater Society. Her partner third place at state competition for Panama for co-creating the original Sister Movie Night. Uh sophomore and is appointed theater officer for the largest symphony opera club in the state. [applause] And joining them is Rory Shober. Did I say that right? Sherber. Okay. All right. Place second at the state competition for contemporary scene. Graduated in 26 and twotime state champion 25 and 26. And she'll attend Salt Lake Community College in the fall to pursue her nursing degree. [applause] These are all from Cottonwood High School. Uh we have some others who want to do >> all together. All right. I apologize if I get this wrong. Ninja new Isilo. Did I say that
027right? [applause] I have to ask, is your first name really Ninja? That's so cool. All right. Ninja, sophomore at Olympus High School. He specializes in acting, but recently this year tried out stage crew for the first time. He is I have a question for Ninja in a second when he's done shaking hands. Ninja, is is this your first time entering into the scenic design contest? >> Is this your first time entering in a scenic design contest? >> Scenic design is one of the hardest technical theater categories in the state. First time he did it gets second in the state. Congratulations, [applause] Garrett Nelson from Skyline. [applause] There he is. Garrett is being recognized today for receiving the prestigious judges award at 5A1 play states. Uh he's an outstanding performer skilled in acting, vocal dancing in
028all kinds of performances. He is [snorts] part of the Skyline Skylines award-winning improv team and has a unique distinction of ranking of the state drama contest with an original dramatic piece where he earned second in the state of Utah. Congratulations [applause] Let's just do one round. [laughter] All right, congratulations, guys. [applause] Uh, two individuals that can make it tonight are Brecklin Barbadio. She placed third in the state in costume design for Arsenic and Old Lace. And then Judson Smith from Skyline, second in dramatic monologue. Congratulations to those individuals. [applause] >> And then we'll just have the parents stand if you're here to be recognized. So, all the parents if you're here, [applause] fantastic. I'll just move right into the next recognition. It's our National History Day competition. Um, and what I'll tell you a little
029bit about this. Um, National History Day competition engages more than half a million students across the country in a historical research project. Students in grades 6 through 12 select their own topic and find evidence from primary and secondary documents to support their analysis. They then present their findings through papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, websites. Um, students have the option of working individually or in groups. At each level of the competition, a panel of judges scores the project and interviews each student. So, it's really, really rigorous. For granted students, the competition begins at the Salt Lake Regional Contest, where the top three projects in each category advance to state. At state, the two top projects for each category advance to national competition in Washington, DC. And the students who make nationals are in 1% of the students
030who engage in the National History Day competition. These national qualifiers will now head to Washington DC June 14th through 18th as part of the Utah delegation. Not only will they compete against the best projects from students across the United States, they'll also have the opportunity to build friendships with their competitors through planned activities and excursions in our nation's capital. So, I'll introduce them in order. From Bonavville Junior High, Marlo Pew, are you here? Marlo, come on up. >> [applause] >> Marlo wrote a paper titled Muck Raking the Importance of Investigative Journalisms. Thanks for all you did, Margot. And go ahead and shake our board members hands. from Granger High School, Audrey Hennessy and Hannah Allison. [applause] And they're not here with us tonight, but they created a group exhibit titled The March of the Mill
031Children, a revolution leading to the Reformation of Child Labor Laws. Really interesting. from Skyline, Khloe Zo, Daniel Luo, [applause] Haley Park, Lydia Bartholomew created a group website titled the Montreal Project or Protocol. Sorry about that. And then Emily Tan created an individual website titled Joseph's Listers Antiseptic System. Any of you here? >> Okay, so we will honor Marlo. Thank you [applause] for being here. All right. One, two, three. [applause] >> Okay. Now, um Luke, you're going to help queue us, right? Um we have a really special um recognition and I'm going to invite Liz up to join. Um, this is really this is about the reflections contest and this is really spectacular. I'm going to let Liz do this because as you know our PTA runs this uh program and so I'll let her tell
032you a little bit about what you're going to see here and then we'll introduce our winner. >> We are so happy to be here tonight to recognize Jet Afflebach. He is a first grader at Upland Terrace Elementary. Jet has earned a national PTA award of excellence. That is the top level in film production for his reflections entry. I belong. We would love to watch his one minute video together. What? >> [crying] >> Hey, That's made. Yes. >> [applause] >> Jet, would you come up with us? [applause] I would love to tell you a little bit about Jet. Um, I think that was a pretty poignant one minute video describing all the feelings about recognizing your individuality and wanting to fit in and and the intersection of that. Jet is a bright student. His he loves
033playing with Legos and creating new things and spending time with his friends. His teacher describes him as hardworking and persistent and always willing to keep trying through difficult tasks. Each entry is accompanied by an artist statement. Jet, would you like to come shake some hands up here? These friends would like to meet you. Um, each entry in Reflections has an artist statement and Jet said in his statement, "I want to share that it is nice to communicate in sign language and when I take my hearing aids off, it's really nice to not be able not to not have to be able to hear everything where it is loud and to relax in silence." We are so proud of Jet. Jet has won a combined $300 in awards from state and national PTA. This year, Utah
034had 22 national winners and Jet is our big winner from Granite District and region 5 PTA. Please help us in congratulating Jet. [applause] Awesome. [crying] [laughter] >> [applause] >> Thanks, Liz. Okay, next we have our Shape Utah teachers of the year. I'm going to invite Susan Marshall up who represents our health department and she will introduce them. [crying] Okay. Um so we're proud to celebrate three granted teachers who are redefining health and physical education. These awards are prevent presented by shape Utah. It's the society of health and physical educators an organization that recognizes excellence in health physical education and wellness. Our first award is the health educator teacher of the year Whitney Mitchell. [applause] Whitney brings learning to life through hands-on, unforgettable experiences, helping students truly understand health, anatomy, and first aid while feeling seen
035and supported every step of the way. [snorts] >> Um, our elementary physical education teacher of the year is my Borsick. [applause] Coach Borsk inspires a lifelong love of movement with high energy, engaging lessons, and even shares his passion beyond the gym as the PE guy on YouTube, supporting students, families, and educators everywhere. >> Keep going. Okay. And our last one from Granite, adapted physical education teacher of the year, Rochelle Deer. [applause] Rochelle's [cheering] creativity, leadership, and dedication ensure every student can access, enjoy, and succeed in PE on campus and through her incredible work with Special Olympics and schoolwide support teams. Thank you for the impact you make on our students, schools, and communities every day. [applause] invite [applause] Aaron White head up for Yes. Now we're Erin's taking over. Yes. >> [snorts] [clears throat] >>
036Okay, we're excited to announce the spring sports academic all state. Uh to be academic all state, you need to have a 4.0 gradepoint average cumulative through all your high school experience. These are seniors. We had 36 Grand School District students named as academic all state this spring. Um not all of them could make it. Those who are not able to be here tonight, we can see their names online. Uh they'll be posted there. Uh so those uh that when we call your name, athletes, please come down and meet the board. Uh if I don't call your name, please come down and be recognized anyway and then and let me know your name. We'll get it on there. And then ladies and gentlemen, just please hold your applause until the end. For baseball and boys tennis
037both is Magguire Stanley from Kurts High School. for girls golf, Kate Parkinson from Granger, Isabelle Miller from Hunter, Callie Tolman from Taylor'sville. softball. Jaden Mugglson from Olympus. Maya Jacobson from Skyline. Boys track and field. Le Jacobson from Olympus. Madden Moore from Taylor'sville. And for girls track and field, Gracie Harding from Hunter, Maline Taylor from Hunter, and Presley Castro from Hunter. Ladies and gentlemen, please give these student athletes a round of applause. [applause] >> [applause] >> And parents, if you're here, please stand and be recognized as well. [applause] >> And as soon as you guys get your pictures done, we have some uh swag bags for you outside. You guys are crazy. [applause] >> Well done. And and um parents, will you please also stand and be recognized if you're here with your athlete? >> Oh,
038did we? Sorry. >> I was I was worried about that. We're gonna invite Jen Christensen and Rob McDaniels up for a Sterling scholar recognition. Okay, I'm gonna have Naomi, but we call her Mimi Mills, come on up. Mimi is the state Sterling Scholar in skilled and technical sciences. So, she's pretty amazing in every way. So, that's just one thing. I'm going to tell you about more if she comes up and shakes your hand. [laughter] So, as Mimi graduated and actually before that, we had the opportunity to go to her AP Lit class in I think it was March or April. And we got to tell and announce to her AP Lit class that she is the state CTE presidential scholar as well. And when we announced that in her AP Lit class, we asked everybody,
039"What are some of the things that you know about Mimi?" And um Mimi is honestly amazing in every way. She has been a CTE pathway completer in multiple CTE pathways. She took she took eight AP classes and passed every single one. And there's some of her tests that she took this year she doesn't know the score of yet, but I can assure you I know for a fact that she passed those tests. So without a doubt, I'm sure and I'm sure it was a five. Absolutely. But um Mimi did she did an engineering internship at the Utah STEM Action Center and she's done that since 2025. She's also done an engineering internship at FLS Myth, a mining engineering company. Um she's been the TSA chapter president for the state and she's been involved in TSA
040since 7th grade, which is a big thing because we don't have TSA doesn't meet at Olympus High. they go over to Evergreen Junior High and they do everything over at Evergreen and then they bring it over to the high school. So, she's taken on that role and she's become a state champion as well in TSA every single year. So, um Mimi's been just integral in the success of TSA. And one of the cool things that they have every year over at Evergreen for TSA is the STEM night, which Julie, I know you've been to that, and they do a drone show, they do all sorts of great stuff. So, but Mimi's done that. So, some of the things that she's done as the TSA state president, she's run statewide food drives. She's done multiple community
041events and had over 800 people attend. She's done canned food through video game competitions, community service activities, and fed cancer patients at the Hope Lodge. Um, she's also created a manual about hydroponic systems through her internship at the Utah STEM Action Center. And this is a way that students and teachers learn how to create and use their hydroponic system. She created characters for the STEM action center to represent their hydroponics program. She created the pin design for the Utah TSA pin design competition through their for their national competition this year. And she was also instrumental in just planning this STEM night which I talked about. But um she's been just a huge huge asset to us at Olympus High. I'm heartbroken that she's graduated, but she's moving on to the University of Utah and she's
042going to major in engineering. And I don't know, we're just excited to see the incredible things that I know she'll accomplish. >> Mr. Christensen, will you will you, for everybody who doesn't know, tell them what TSA stands for? >> Oh, yes. It's the technology student association. >> So, it's a it's one of our CTSOs for um career and technical education. So, >> thank you. >> Yes. Thank you. [applause] Okay, I'm gonna ask Jonathan Chen if he'll come up. [applause] >> So, I'm honored to share a few thoughts about an amazing skyline eagle, Jonathan Chin. He's the 2026 Wasash Front Sterling Scholar winner in business and marketing. He is the definition of ambition, leadership, and service. Jonathan's leadership and service record is exceptional. He has served on both the Mil Creek Youth Council and Attorney General's
043Youth Council. in business and marketing. He has earned national recognition three separate times through FBLA, served as the Utah FBLA Eastern Region Vice President, and represented students nationwide at the FBLA National Western Regional Communic as as the FB FBLA National Western Region Region Communications Director. He has also received the DECA National Award of Excellence and served as president of the Skyline Business Club. His influence extends far beyond business competitions. Jonathan served as the National Honor Society co-president, uplifted others as a member of the Choice Humanitarian Board of Directors, and was the extemporaneous captain for Skyline's state championship debate team. Whether in the classroom, in leadership positions, or in service to others, Jonathan demonstrates intelligence, humility, and vision. He is a student leader who inspires those around him and a young man whose future is bright.
044What makes Jonathan even more unique is that he will be a firstg generation college student. He had offers from many, but Jonathan has chosen to attend Cornell University on scholarship. His goal is to one day serve as United States Congressman, and anyone who knows him understands that he is already well on his way. Jonathan Chin. [applause] >> Thanks you guys. Um, we're going to invite Chris Larson up to do the UCT Outstanding Coach Award. Did we have parents? Sorry. of our Sterling Scholar winners stand to be recognized. I think they're seniors, so they come by themselves. Oh, thank you. [applause] Um, I'm excited to present this award. The person who's receiving this award um is the technology coach at Granger Elementary. And so, Rachel Lowry, the principal at Granger, is joining me. and we thought
045that we would uh tag team this honor because we both think that this person is outstanding and and deserving of this award. So, it's our absolute privilege to present the USA uh which stands for Utah Coalition for Educational Technology Outstanding Coach of Coach Award to Myra Sanchez from Granger Elementary. [applause] This prestigious award honors an educational technology coach who demonstrates exceptional leadership in using technology to deeply engage students, enhance instruction, and extend learning into the real world. >> Nominated by five of her peers, Myra is described as a true diamond in the Granite School District. In just her third year as a coach, she has transformed how her community views technology. Myra meets every educator exactly where they are, patiently guiding techtimid teachers to take brave risks while inspiring advanced classrooms with cuttingedge tools. Her
046bilingual skills have been vital, breaking down language barriers to support Spanish dual immersion classrooms and helping families seamlessly connect with learning at home. >> Myra doesn't just in integrate technology, she builds confidence, fosters collaboration, and keeps student success at the heart of everything she does. Please join us in celebrating Myra Sanchez as the state 2026 USA outstanding coach. [applause] One, two, three. [applause] >> All right. All right. And we did have one other um listed on our agenda, but that person could not make it tonight. So, we're going to wait on that till next month. So, we're going to go ahead and move on. Uh next on our agenda, we have time for granite elected officials. Um I don't think I see any. So, we're going to go on to the next part, which is
047our patron participation. Um we have five people signed up. Uh, and while excuse me, Marina Ruez, you are first. Um, while you make your way up, I am going to read this part. Uh, I want to remind those who have signed up that they will have three minutes to speak and be mindful of the timer. We are limited to 30 minutes total for public comment. The public may sign up to share public comment at granitechools.org/board/public comment. Once your name is called, please come forward and state your name clearly into the microphone. And you do have to really speak very clearly into the microphone. Once the timer expires, [laughter] we ask that you promptly return to your seat. Comments may express support or disscent for regulatory actions. However, public comment is not the appropriate form for
048personal complaints or attacking or defaming individuals. Doing so is a direct violation of our policy and you will be asked to stop immediately and return to your seat. If you have a personal concern, please contact a member of the administration or put your concerns in writing to the board. Please remember that children may hear your comments. Be thoughtful and professional. Keep your comments appropriate for the general audience. The board is here to listen during public comment, but we are not able to respond to any comments or questions that you may have. A member of the administration may follow up with you later if needed. So, is Marina here? No. Marina. Um, Zachary Meyers or Representative of Zachary Myers? No. Okay. Uh, Christa Dimmick. Come on up, Krista. And after Christa, we've got Katie Foron forberry.
049Yep. Thank you for this opportunity to share for myself and other parents. I have three children in the district, two at Morningside Elementary. We have a special education teacher who according to the program has 32 plus students over two schools. When projected in the middle of the year, we estimate this will be around 40 plus students. We are informed that the FTE range is 16 to 31 students. um per teacher. I think it's wrong to overload these teachers. I think this has been discussed um already. I think people generally feel that way. Um but it would be really detrimental to these students to overload a teacher like that. um with the data presented um that we had asked for as a clarification from a previous meeting um we still don't know these answers to all
050the FTE uh questions that we had with the help of this very skilled teacher and uh three paras that uh most will be let go from our school. My son has tested um within the school standards in four short months being um two years grade levels behind. Um more importantly to me is his mental health and confidence which for the first time in three years he asked to go to school. This is the first time I'm considering not pulling him out of your district to find him proper help and education. And look how helpful this intervention was in just a short time. If you were truly worried about enrollment, I would mind the larger number of parents and turn more value on the special education program as we are questioning why our children are not
051fitting into your education model here at the district. I appreciate the work and providing the presentation today. Um, it showed that there was a $1.3 million shortfall due to student underounting and paperwork issues, which is on the administration level. Why is the staff being relieved at the student level, especially those who are very directly servicing students and teachers? Our children should not suffer larger class sizes or reduced services because of a bure bureaucratic paperwork error. Coordinators and admins need to be the ones correcting this error. Looking up the admin salaries and increases on the Transparent Utah website does not reflect what we are cutting here on the ground with our children. With that much being spent on admin, there's no excuse for errors and this magnitude. The district needs to find one-time emergency funds to
052bridge this gap while administrative errors are corrected within the state. Cutting services to the most vulnerable student populations during a crisis is a failure of equity. The board must look at cutting central admin overhead before touching direct student support. Set the timer. >> Thank you, [applause] >> Katie. And then after Katie, um, is Cameron Davis here? >> Thank you for having me. My name is Katie Foronberry. I am a psychologist and an educator, but today I'm speaking as a mom who's scared about what the next year holds for my daughter in light of the cuts of special education. Alice is a beautiful 11-year-old who will be starting at Wasach Middle School this fall. She has a rare genetic syndrome that causes cognitive and motor delays and she's on an IEP for multiple disabilities. Because of
053the excellent education that she's received at Morningside Elementary, Alice can read and write and communicate. And this didn't happen by accident. This happened because she had the staffing and the support that she needed. We've been looking forward to her transition to applied academics classroom at Wasatch where she can continue to grow. So you can imagine my devastation a few days ago when I learned that PAR education support is being reduced and special education teachers leaving. These aren't abstract changes for my daughter. This means less instruction, less communication support, and more time sitting in the classroom confused and falling farther behind. I understand that the district is facing a difficult budget situation, and I do not envy the people who have to make the hard decisions, but I'm deeply concerned that the proposed solution shifts the
054burden onto the students who can least afford it. We learned the shortfall is due in part to student underounting, but those students are physically present in our schools today and their needs are real today. Reducing support because of a paperwork failure is not acceptable when it directly impacts our vulnerable children. And at the same time, we know students are requiring intensive services and more are being placed in the AC in the applied academic self-contained classrooms where Paris support is also being reduced. This creates an impossible situation for our students and for our staff. So, I'm asking the board for three things. First, please identify if there's any emergency or one-time funding that can prevent immediate cuts to special education staffing. And second, prioritize protecting pareducators and special education teacher positions. As some of these budget
055hits seem to be one-time events, can we avoid long-term changes? And then finally, I ask for more oversight and transparency into exactly where these reassignments are being made in the spirit of stakeholder trust. Um, I want to thank Julie for the comments earlier about making long-term improvements to funding. I'm with you for that. Um, but most importantly, I'm asking that everybody center the decisions being made around the students being most affected because for Alice, this is not a line item. This is her ability to learn and to communicate and to be part of the school community. Ask you please don't let administrative shortfalls become lifelong setbacks for students like her. Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you, Katie. Is Cameron one one more call for Cameron? Okay. All right. We're going to go ahead and move
056on. We have um next on our agenda is our consent items. We've had these items for a few days to be able to review and ask any questions. And if there are no questions, I will entertain a motion. [snorts] >> I move that we approve the consent agenda. >> I'll second. Right. We have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda. Is there any further discussion? >> Um, I have a comment. As part of the consent agenda this evening, there is on there the ratification of the GA agreement. And so I just have a statement I would like to to read um on how I'm going to be voting for that tonight. If I can get my paper and my microphone working at the same time. Okay. So tonight I am voting to
057approve the ratified agreement because of my deep commitment to our teachers and I recognize that our educators are amazing, hardworking and dedicated to the success of our students and I want to be clear that they have my full full support. I also want to address though my growing concerns regarding the current dynamic between GA leadership and the board from my perspective. While public statements often mention a desire for collaboration, recent interactions have felt increasingly adversarial and confrontational rather than collaborative. Partnership requires mutual effort and shared recognition. When the board takes political step difficult political steps to support our educators, it is disheartening to see the GA take credit for things that actually come from the board. But despite these ongoing leadership challenges and strong feelings of frustration and disappointment I have with GA leadership, I
058also refuse to let administrative friction stand in the way of supporting our frontline staff, our teachers. My yes vote tonight is a direct reflection of my appreciation for our teachers and everything they do for our schools. >> Any other Yes, I have a comment. Thank you. Um, with regard to the negotiated agreement, I share the concerns Karen has described, but I also wanted to be clear and that a key point for me in these negotiations that I had hoped to address was the surplus process and how that affects teachers who are on one-year contracts given their roles. Each year, contract teachers are completely out of consideration for positions until the surplus process is entirely complete complete. No matter how effective they are or how many years they have put in because of the current language
059in the negotiated agreement, teachers have expressed concern about this to me and in my view this was the time to address it. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened. I think the GA and the board as a whole did not see this as a hold up, but it was a big concern to me. Um, I am bringing this up because I hope that the issue is considered and ideas for improvement raised down the road in the future and that will rest with some people other than me. Um, so I just really want to put that out there that I hope that it's something that can be addressed in the future. I am going to be a no on the consent agenda regardless because we have our annual panorama licenses on the agenda this month. But I just wanted
060to share that background as well. >> Great. Thank you, Kim. Any other comments? All right. >> I just want to share that I also am concerned about the surplus and also share that desire to fix that. >> Any other comments? Sorry. >> I think for my part, Kim, I I agree. I think it's a bigger picture and we when you brought it up it's a it's more time it we we need to have more time on it to fix it other than just the short time that we had. So I would like to make sure that we do address it in the future. >> Um okay with no further comments all in favor please say I. >> I. >> And those opposed nay. >> Motion carries. Um we're going to move on to our action
061items. The first one is our administrative appointments. Again, this is something that we've had for uh a few days and have been able to ask questions. And if there are no further questions, I will entertain a motion. I move to approve the administrative appointments. >> Second. Right. We have a motion and a second to approve the administrative appointments. Is there any discussion? All right. All in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Right. Going to turn the time over to Dr. How first. Good evening, members of the board. This is um always one of my very favorite privilege to get to do is to recognize our new appointments. And I'm first going to ask Dave Everett to stand up. Can we give him a round of applause? >> [applause] >> David has been
062an assistant principal at West Valley Elementary, Elcrron Elementary, and currently at Granger Elementary. He was previously the principal of Hunter Elementary. Those who have worked directly with David say David is a strong advocate for every child and works tirelessly to ensure that each student receives the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive while supporting teachers by providing the resources, coaching, and encouragement they need to meet the unique needs of every learner. He's contagiously optimistic, enthusiastic, and consistent in his follow-through. He builds trust, fosters belonging, and creates environments environment where students, staff, and families feel valued, respected, and connected. David will be the new principal at Calvin Smith Elementary School. Congratulations. A round of applause for you, [applause] David. Could you introduce who you brought with you? >> Yes. I've got my family here. took
063off my wife Britney and our four kids, Kayen, Preston, Brooks, Maggie, and then my mother-in-law, and then my cheering section. >> Aren't you guys glad you are here? This was a fun meeting, huh? >> Thank you, David. Appreciate you. Can I ne next ask Briana Collie, Brianna Collie, to stand up. Round of applause for Brianna. [applause] Bri has been a teacher in Granite School District for 13 years. She has taught at Karns Junior High, South Karns Elementary, and West Karns Elementary. She was an administrative intern at Benyan and Calvin Smith elementary schools and is currently an assistant principal at Benyan and Cresty elementary schools. Those who worked directly with Bri say Bri is positive, professional, powerful, compassionate, and excellent at building strong relationships. Students, teachers, and parents all love her. She's a great listener and
064makes every individual feel valued. She has creative ideas and empowers others to consider new ideas and strategies. Bri will be the new principal at Whittier Elementary. Congratulations. [applause] Bri, can you introduce who you brought with you? >> I brought an entire section. These are my four daughters. Gabrielle, my beloved uncle, >> and they all get ice cream tonight. >> I'm coming with you. [applause] Congratulations to both of you. We're excited. >> That's amazing. I can I can attest to Bri Bree's amazingness. So, we're excited. We're going to turn the time over to Todd. He has one appointment as well. >> It's not fair following Tyler. I'm not quite prepared for speeches. [laughter] I can do ice cream now. Excited to uh have Elizabeth Swenson, also known as Buffy, as our new child nutrition director. Uh
065we're excited to have her come on board. She'll be starting here at the end of the month. And she comes to us from one of those rare instances where splitting a school district can create a positive outcome. We're going to steal her from Alpine where she's been the [applause] director there. I didn't ask you to bring anybody, so I'm sorry. >> They're all >> Thank you, Buffy. We're We're glad to have you here. Look forward to working with you. All right. Thanks. You guys are welcome to say, but I think the kids want ice cream, so I'm saying that so you have to actually do it. Um, all right. Next on our agenda, we have two um items 9 9B and 9C, which are school name changes. Um because of some circumstances, um with no
066objection, I'm going to table those for now and we will move them to a future agenda. Um we're going to go ahead and move on to our information item. This is our tenative budget information presentation. and turn the time over to Todd and Brian. Thank you for the time this evening. Brian and I will tag team as we go through the presentation today. Since this is our first presentation of the full tentative budget, there are some new statutory requirements that we need to follow. Uh so we're going to walk through those uh make sure we cover all of the new requirements and uh take care of that as an information item. The regular hearing, so this is not the budget hearing. This is just an information item that's required new under statute. The hearing itself
067will be on June 16th at 6 p.m. So >> So you're saying there are new statutory requirements that we haven't even talked about yet. So, we talked about them a month ago. >> Okay. I was like, in addition, are you kidding me? Okay. >> Well, we have we do have interpretations of [laughter] >> we can definitely get into those >> or we're going to stick with the statute right now and and worry about interpretations later. And uh so and I'm I'm glad we're laughing a little bit because cuz Doug and I were joking a little bit ago about the first statement that I need to make to you which has to do with the fact that there's a tax increase. And so we thought I would make the statement and then Doug would say, "Excuse
068me, did I just hear that you made this statement?" And then I would say, "Yes, I did make that statement." And we'd have it three times on record. [laughter] But but we'll spare we'll spare you the dramatic part of it. [laughter] >> We can all ask and then you'll have it on there five times. Let's do it. >> But in all seriousness, [laughter] these are important matters, especially as we talk about taxes and people's uh incomes and and the impacts that we have on those with the decisions we make in in managing the district. Uh so on our agenda today, we'll talk about the tenative budget. We'll go over the tax increase requirements that need to be stated today. And then we'll take just a minute to cover the highlights of the budget uh just
069to have a full uh information item. Again, the hearing will be on the 16th. So the first statement that I have to statutoily make is that the tentative budget that we're presenting to you today includes a tax a proposed tax increase that exceeds the certified tax rate. >> Did I hear that correctly? So again, under under the new laws, this is the requirement that we inform you that the tenative budget does include a tax increase above the certified rate and that the public is informed that the budget that will be presented on the 16th includes a tax increase. So that's the the first of several statements we'll make here. Go ahead. Now, that would be true regardless of whether we were because of our our switching over from our debt service to our >> correct
070>> capital levy. So, that would be true regardless of of whether we raise our taxes for anything else. Correct. >> Yes. Okay. We Yeah. Any anytime that we go above the certified rate then uh we will have this statement along with some additional meetings. The next is that included with the tenative uh budget in a separate document is the property tax impact schedule. Uh the purpose of the schedule is to inform the public specifically the dollar amount that will be increased and the purposes for which those dollars are being raised. Uh so that is a separate document that's available on our website. It will be available also at the hearing uh and is available now if you grab the presentation. So this is a new aspect. Again it's to help uh the public participate be
071aware and be informed of the decisions that the board is making regarding budgets. Uh specifically these are the areas that we are raising the funds for. So for our class size reduction uh that we had already put in place this year. Again, if if you recall, we did go through a tax increase process last year, but we're not certified at the end. So, we're just bringing those items forward this year in an effort to cover the tax increase for the same items that we had talked about last year. So these are the the class size reduction, the English language learner software, behavior supports in the classrooms, gang prevention, elementary uh teacher prep time, instructional coaches, uh school administrator supports, school guardian and elementarymentaries. Thank you for being patient as I read this. uh for uh
072custodial supports, the charter school local levy recovery, uh defending building maintenance, our deferred maintenance, and our school rebuilds and remodels. So, these are the specific items that we're raising, $21.6 million. >> So, >> would you like me to read that again? >> So, could you say that again? Do you need to say it again? >> Honestly, I feel like this is the second time because we did this a year around this time. >> I just want to make sure I understand that once this is published because this is >> draft. Oh, it's >> this is out there. Yes. >> And so what's the changeability? Is there flexibility in changing any of that? >> You you can always change. Yeah, this is it's called the out. So at the budget hearing, you can have those discussions
073if if you want to have modifications, increases, decreases, etc. >> If you want to reallocate that money somewhere, but then once we vote on it, then we have committed that money to those areas. Am I correct? >> So up until this year, that would be correct. the fact that we have a tax increase. We now have to set aside this another slide that we'll get to, but we have to set aside this $21 million in a budget reserve account so that when you get to the tax hearing in August, the public isn't uh of the opinion that you've already made your decision and there is no purpose to having the public hearing because it's a done deal. I think I mean after we approve once we approve the tax increase a tax increase when we
074approve a budget I mean say October >> so that's that's August >> but but even say October and we're like oh actually we want to change this around we can't change it because it's been voted on right >> it can be changed so you can modify a budget in the course of the year >> even though you promised taxpayers this is what you're spending it on. >> So you can Yes, you can still modify you can still modify the budget. You would have a longer conversation when modifying that budget. >> Uh but it there's no prohibition >> uh to modifying the budget. There is a budget process to modify and we can talk through what that process is, but that's available to you. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Kim, did you have a question? No.
075Can I can I ask a question? Just to clarify because I'm sure people are going to ask most of these are pretty clear. What is um exactly the administrator school administrator support and what is the custodial supports that we've that we've promised with this. >> So the school administrator supports we're providing additional support of like a dean of students or uh interns into more of our schools. We we've been trying to provide that into the elementary schools that we've not been able to get those staffing supports there. So that's the primary focus of these dollars. I see >> assistant superintendent. What are we going to call you today? >> Superintendent Prom. [laughter] Um, this specifically makes it so that every single school in the Granite School District has somebody in addition to their principal, albeit
076some in some cases only half time, but at least it's an additional administrator support in every single one of our elementarymentaries, which is a big a big deal. the the custodial supports have to do with the additional square footage that are now added into the Cypress and Skyline high schools. >> So So there are additional custodial needs and maintenance within those two schools >> and a crazy amount of glass that needs to be cleaned. I >> think we need some more staff just to cover glass, but >> Okay. Sorry. Thank you. No. Um the revenues generated will be 21,688,055. So that's the ask or the increase in the the taxes. Uh there's a couple of ways of calculating this next piece of information. So we're going to give you both just to cover all our
077bases. The first is that the $21 million represents about a 10.3% increase in property tax. So that's if you take all of our property tax levies, combine them together, and then divide the 21 million through that, that's how you get the 10.3. Uh we also have a calculation which will show up in most of our literature, which will be that this same $21 million represents an 11.2% 2% tax increase. The reason that that is a larger number is that the base has changed. So now this is just the levies that are the board levy, the voted levy, and the capital levy. So this is a percentage of just those three levies, not of all six levies. So that's I get that right. Most No, I've got it wrong. Brian will fix it. >> Well, so
078the first number is based on revenues, on dollars. last year's final budget compared to this year's what we're actually generating through these three levies. So board board voted and capital levies. Both of them are only considering those three pieces, not considering debt or or other charter school. Yeah. Basic levy. Anything else? Um, the second one is taking the certified tax rate that we're estimating at this point and saying how much what percentage above that certified tax rate are we going to be this year? And that's the calculation that ultimately will show up on on property tax notices that will go out in July. So, we won't know that until July what that certified. >> We'll know that tax rate is when we have actual certified rates that the the tax commission gives us in June.
079>> And just to clarify, will we have that solid number on June 16th when we're actually voting or when you say we'll have it in June? June has 30 days. >> Yes. [laughter] >> Is it going to be is it going to be by the six? I mean, I don't know. I would hope that when we're putting our vote to a budgetary number that has so much so many >> implications for our constituents and our families and and all of those taxpayers that we represent that we have hard numbers, but I'm guessing from your face, it's not guaranteed we have those definitive numbers by the 16th. We we will likely have certified tax rates for the three levies we're talking about by that point and can give better information at that point. We won't have
080everything. There are pieces of the property tax rates like the basic rate of the state, what the charter school levy is going to look like that will still be coming after the the budget hearing potentially. But but we'll have a better idea of what the certified rates will be for the board voted and capital levies. So, if that's the best non-answer I can give you. >> That's one of the reasons why we have in the past few years moved our our budget hearing to later in June because the later we go, the closer they can get. >> Yeah. And I appreciate that. I mean, it'll be good to have our rate solid. I guess what I'm I'm just I mean, this isn't your problem to fix. I just think it's really hard to ask a
081governing board to make budgetary decisions >> without a >> without without hard numbers. It's like trying to solve a story problem not knowing all the variables >> and it's like taking your best stab at it. But hopefully we get a little bit more definitive direction before the 16th. >> Yeah, definitely. Well, yeah, the the So, there's two different entities that are providing this information. the county is certifying the rates that Brian just talked about and the state tax commission certifies the basic levy and the charter school levy. So, so again, we'll have most of the information and and really under statute what you're uh primarily trying to do is approve a dollar amount. So, so we can talk with certainty that the $21 million is what we need to balance the budget. There's no question
082in our minds to that number. The secondary question is what will the state's tax or what will the district's tax rate be is less clear because we don't have assessed valuations in time for this this meeting and most likely not for the hearing. But we know the we know the dollar amount. So that so you can speak quite concretely about the dollars needed to balance the budget. >> Yep. By law we have to have it done by have a date. >> So the the rates have to be certified by June 22nd, >> but we have to have our budget >> passed by. >> So the budget date is June 30. >> So we could do it after >> if we wanted to do it the last week in June. >> So you'd have to adopt
083your rates before the last week of June. So the rates have to be adopted before the 22nd. The budget itself is adopted by the 30th. >> So it that's where the problem lies. So, for the listening public, we're trying. >> So, let's fix that legislation. >> Gosh, if we knew a legislator that could fix that, that would be great. >> Yeah, we had a handful try this last session. There are parts of this process that are out of all of our control. And so, but yes, we can try again. But I think I mean knowing the 21 million that we need. Yeah, that's that is one important variable in the story problem. But I think this rate though because that is essentially the tax hike that we're considering. And it sounds like that is still
084what is >> well it's it's the mechanism to communicate to an individual property owner to say of the $21 million this is your share of it and that's the piece that's fuzzy right now because of timing but yes it's needed now I'm wishing Brian isn't going because he's going to correct me on every other slide now [laughter] moving out >> I'm done >> you're All right. So, part of our requirement since there is an increase in the tax, uh, we are required to inform you and the public that we do intend to hold a truth and taxation hearing. It will be held on August 18th at 6 p.m. here at the district offices. And you, as the public, have opportunity to come and speak to the board regarding that uh, tax increase. And you do
085not have to sign up ahead of time. You can sign up that night to to address the board. >> Correct. Last year was the first for virtual participation in a board meeting. Uh so it was and we did fairly well, I think, of of all the taxing entities that went through the process. We aced this particular piece. Luke did a great job of of hosting and making sure we were able to have public participation remotely. And so we'll so we'll make sure that we have that all in place this time as well. What the added feature is this year is that we have to publish the URL or the the instructions for the public on how to participate electronically differently than we did last year, but that's a new feature and it should be pretty
086straightforward as we put it on the notices. So we're not too worried about having that. But there will be the ability to participate remotely as well as a new option which is that you can submit as a member of the public a written statement to be part of the tax hearing record. Uh so that's not been officially recognized before. So that is another way by which the public can participate. They can simply put that in writing and submit it to the board for that tax. that read at the meeting or it's just part of the >> So, it's not clear in the statute. So, most of us are determining that to be safe, we will have the opportunity to have that read. Of course, it will have to fit within the the time limits that
087are established for that day. So, if someone gives us a 10-page dissertation, I'm sure we might have to distill that down to the to the time limit. All right. And another requirement uh for this meeting is that all of the information that I'm sharing right now was published on our agenda for today's meeting. So here's a snapshot of our part of the agenda uh covering all the things that we needed to talk about today. Once we get past the budget hearing, so we will adopt a tentative budget. The budget changes names in statute. Now, it becomes what is called the interim budget. The reason it is an interim budget is that the $21 million in this case has to be set aside in a budget reserve account. We cannot touch that. We cannot touch that
088until you hold your tax hearing and have a subsequent vote to adopt the budget. So, even though it's after July 1st, those funds cannot be used. And so that assures the public that it's not a done deal when you get to your tax hearing. It is you can decide not to do it and it's not jeopardizing the operational budget of the district. So we will have an interim budget between June 16th and August 18th uh depending on what the outcome of that hearing will be. Does that make sense? And this is uh from our budget document just highlighting the fact that we have set that money aside. Again, this is for the oversight bodies who will double check to make sure that we actually have something set aside. This is the page it's on. This
089is the row it's on. We have complied with that requirement. I am done talking unless you have other questions on the new statutory requirements. I just want to make sure that, you know, I don't need to like wear a specific outfit or like sit a certain way in order to make sure this all passes. Is there anything that we need to do as a board? >> So, if your birthday is in the months of June through September the room, >> no, I'm not aware of any dress code requirements. >> And I do mean that as a dig to the tax commission for the record. >> I don't even think they came up with these rules, but I mean, it is addict to somebody. I just don't know who. >> We'll find out. >> Okay. So,
090I'm going to quickly go over just highlights of the tenative budget that's out there on the web right now that Todd referred to. You can get this on the main district web page. It's part of the bulletins that are showing up on the main district site along with information about both of the hearings that are upcoming. So, we talked about many of these already, but the following budget priorities have been in included in that budget. Um, steps and lanes for employees, including also a cost of living adjustment for each district employee. That's been estimated at 0.5% for for each employee group in the budget. Um, we talked about the adjustments to lower class sizes in grades K through two, half-time assistant principles or administrative intern positions in elementary schools, school guardians for our elementary schools,
091um, replacing lost state funding and responding to legislative changes. So, that includes gang prevention, software for English learners, special ed, preschool, professional staff, and school fees. um district provided instructional coach support at every school in the district. Um postpartum and parental leave. So this is something that was introduced originally in this current school year and enhanced by legislative requirement in the upcoming fiscal year to allow for um adoptions and foster care situations. Um, and then finally, support for elementary teachers to allow for additional PLC and preparation time during the school day. Um, as we put together the budget, we are we're talking about every single one of the funds that's set up in our district budget to track specific pieces of of our of our district budget. Um the general fund is where most of
092our salaries and benefits are. Most of the uh normal operations of a school district are found in the general fund along with grants and and specific dollars that are that are dedicated to um certain programs and and students. Um the district activity fund is our school's funds that they manage from their side. includes fees, donations, fundraising amounts along with district provided um money for supplies and and activities. Um the pass through taxes fund is the fund that accounts for our investments in RDA projects. So um any of those agreements that the district has entered into along with that charter school levy that we we've talked about in past meetings. The Granite Education Foundation is all of the operations of the GEF. Capital outlay is our building renovations, rebuilds, along with maintenance projects, and other things
093that we're doing with our buildings. Debt service payments on our bonds. And school lunch is is all of the the meals provided to students for breakfast and lunch. Um, so as we look at this, we've got a revenue budget showing here for each of these funds. Um, and then if we go to the next slide, the expenditure budget broken out by by object code or by what it is that we're paying for in each of the funds. And and then that bottom line shows you the difference between the two in every single fund. Um, so a couple of things to note as we look at at these individual funds. The general fund, you can see it's it's fairly balanced when you look at revenues compared to expenditures. You might say, "Well, wait. I thought there
094were some one-time things that we were funding that might make it so we were actually spending more than what we're bringing in." And and the answer to that question is that there's other transfers and things going out of the general fund that make it so at the end of the day, we are around $4.8 million in the red in fiscal year 27 as far as our budget goes because we're planning on one-time priorities and spending to happen there. Um, and part of that transfer is what's going to our schools in the district activity fund that helps them pay for their classes and and fee replacement, all of the things that we've talked about before. The district provides an allocation to to the schools to cover those costs. Um, we did balance the budget this year
095with a number of budget reductions or or specific areas where departments put together 5% reduction plans and some of those plans were implemented and put into the budget. So from the business office to IT, school leadership, support services and teaching and learning, each of those put forth plans and and pieces of those plans were implemented to both reduce dollars and reduce FTE mostly at the district level um as as we were looking at ways to balance the budget in fiscal year 27. Um these are our one-time priorities. Medicaid funding formula change is what was talked about earlier and there is $ 1.5 million of of one-time funding that's set up in the budget to balance the special education program in fiscal year 27. 1.8 million is that school fee replacement money that we are not
096getting dollars from the state to cover any of that this year and that is being funded on a one-time basis again this year with dollars that were set aside specifically for that. And then various other initiatives. One of the big ones here is is the uh community schools program through um United Way and and pieces of that that that the district is funding with onetime dollars in addition to the grant that's being provided by United Way for that purpose. Um we looked at this in May. This slide has not changed from what we looked at on May 18th. Um, but this shows you on a percentage basis the the proposed rate increase above what we're estimating the certified tax rate to be in fiscal year 27. So in total when we look at everything we're
097talking about a 10.9% increase over the certified rate. Now, one thing to note here, that debt service rate reduction line, the blue line at the bottom, does not show up on a property tax notice as a reduction of the the increase. Right? So, we're showing that here to to illustrate the point that that rate is coming down, but that won't show up on a typical property tax notice. That will be a separate line and won't show up as a as a decrease, if that makes sense. Um, so in total, the the estimated impact on an average home is around $123. Again, subject to change as we figure out what the average home value actually is in our district and what the certified rate is is going to be. And then this this gives you all
098of the the previous rates on a budget basis or what dollars will be brought in through through these property tax rates. And in total, we're talking about close to $330 million of of our district budget that's being covered through property tax revenues. So, with that, I'm I'm done. >> Um I'm sorry. What was the number of for an average home? 123 was it? >> That's correct. >> That's just for the increase that we are looking to give. Is that correct? So they'll actually see a greater increase because there's also the charter levy and there were a couple of other things if I recall and we don't know what each city will do. So they'll I mean that's just the amount that we are increasing but when we look at the big picture and how it
099impacts a taxpayer it's actually going to be more than that for sure. There are definitely other levies that from other taxing entities. There's the state basic levy that that could have an impact on a taxpayer and and at the end of the day, a big part of this is how much their home value increased in comparison to >> right. Yep. And >> but we do know that some of those we know that some of those other rates are also going up, right, >> of of other taxing entities in in the area. There are proposed tax increases. Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. and the charter levy, that is already a done deal to increase, isn't it? >> The the revenues that will be generated from that, that's a done deal. The specific rates to get to those
100revenues are still what we're waiting to get numbers on, right? But but we know that the target number that they're getting to is increasing. Yes. >> Okay. >> Thanks. >> That dollar amount um what's the average home price? 565,200 and that's last year's average home value. We I mean we could guess but it it likely isn't going to change significantly for this year. >> And so what's the monthly amount increase that this would represent? >> Well, if we do the math, it would be about 10 bucks a month, right? Yeah. So, and to clarify too, I think a lot of people misunderstand just for our viewing audience, um, we don't have an inflationary, we don't get the inflationary rate. So, if if things increase in price at the store, there's a flat tax rate that's
101we pay. We pay 3.3% or whatever it is on goods that we purchase. We don't get that. Usually what happens is if the price of your home or the property value it increases, we then decrease our rate in order to only collect the same amount of money. And I think that's a misconception a lot of people have that the tax works just like every other tax in in our lives and it doesn't. That's not how this works. So that is why in order to keep up with inflation, we also have to look at that tax rate and see okay this is what we're looking at. We have inflationary costs as well. Gas um the what we're charged for purchasing new things for the district for purchasing our M that all of these things are increase
102in cost as well as well as the cola for our our employees. And that's why why that tax rate increases. Is that correct? >> Right. >> To to explain that in a simple way. >> Yep. >> I just think sometimes people are like, "Well, my house increased, so you should be in getting more money." And we're not. We actually decrease our rate in order. >> And and the other important thing to remember when you look at this is last year there was no tax increase for a taxpayer from Granite School District, right? Like what we had proposed, none of that was enacted. there was not a tax increase at the end of the day. And so many of these things like we've talked about are carryovers from last year. The exact same things that were
103discussed and voted on and and planned for last year are just carrying forward to this year. >> Yeah. And and there's also an unspoken budget savings exercise that happens. So if you look on our list, you don't see us listing fuel and utilities. Those go up annually. So, we find efficiencies within the budget process so that we're not coming to you saying, "Hey, utilities went up 30%, we need $2 million." We're already working on that internally to to focus only those things that really need attention of the board for additional dollars. So, so be aware of that as well is, you know, this isn't just a simple list. There's a a great deal of effort going into the budget to make sure that we're only bringing forward what really needs attention and the rest we're
104managing. >> Thank you. Is there any other comments or questions? All right. Did we cover everything? >> I'm getting a nod from the background just to repeat. >> Okay. Thank you. [clears throat] All right. All right, we're going to move on to our first readings and invite Doug to come up. [clears throat] We do have a need for on this first one. Do Doug, do we want to do this before you explain it or >> Yeah, right. So um board we have because of due to the change in the law we do have to bring back the parental postpartum recovery adoption and foster leave in order to accommodate the foster parent piece of this. Um in order to do that because it has been less than a year per our policy we do need a
105motion and a vote to um to bring it back to reevaluate it >> and that's in our policy. Um, that's in >> Yeah, that's our >> article 2D in in our policy. >> I move that we bring back article 9P. Did I get that right? >> OneP. [laughter] Okay. I move that we bring back article 9 A1P for a reading even though we already did it within a year. >> To amend. Yes. >> To amend. Thank you. >> All right. We have a motion and a second to bring back article 9A1P parental leave for a um >> Amendment. Thank you. [snorts] Words. Um is there any discussion? All in favor please say I. >> I. Is there any opposed? >> Okay. Um board members, let's talk about the policy then. This is again article 9
106A1P uh parental postpartum recovery adoption and foster leave. Uh the changes that are being proposed tonight do not take away anything from the existing leave that we passed in our original policy. Um this only adds additional leave for employees who are adopting children under six years old and um for employees who take in foster children. So, we have created separate sections of the policy um to address each of those issues and how that that leave is to be taken. Uh if you have any additional questions about the policy, I'd be happy to respond. >> Any questions? All right. If not, I'll make I'll entertain. >> I move that we approve article 911P parental postpartum recovery adoption and foster leave for a first reading. I'll second. >> We have a motion and a second to approve
107article uh nine sorry it's typed weird 9A1P parental postpartum recovery adoption and foster leave as a first reading. Is there any further discussion? All in favor please say I. >> I. Any opposed? >> Right. Motion carries. >> Great. Um we'll move on then to our first reading that is a policy in the fiscal policy manual se section 16 food and beverage purchases. The changes to this policy clarify when food and refreshments can be provided to employees um and updates purchasing thresholds to correspond to purchasing um changes that were made in the previous sections this year. So we um we had talked about uh these food and beverage purchases. Um what we have done is essentially um we we we've had guardrails on our on our food and beverage per purchases for some time. Well, we
108have widened those guardrails but maintained those guardrails so that more so that food can be purchased um more often in in more circumstances, but those guard rails um remain intact so that we don't violate any IRS regulations or anything else. Um so that's essentially the the the uh um the reason for the policy and if you have any further questions about it, I'd be happy to respond. >> Any questions? I don't really have any questions, but I I read this policy. There was a part of me that I'm like, really? You can have soda here, but you can't have soda there. And I mean, I appreciate the guardrails, but I at the same time felt really bad for either teachers or whoever's organizing an event or principles. And so, they're having to stop and think
109now, does this level of food qualify or So, I'm not arguing against the guard rails. I just think it's I I don't know. I I just want to make a comment that it's a little silly to me that it's you're literally having to decide how much food, what kind of food, what type of food to make sure you're staying within the guardrails. I'm like, can you just It's just weird. That's all. I'll stop talking. >> This is the policy that makes Todd's um heart rate increase, [laughter] >> but it's also the policy that our principles appreciate so they can >> have all I'm saying. Yeah, >> without getting in trouble [laughter] is the guardrail is there because there is a taxation issue and so when you cross the line we have to report all of
110this on people's income tax on their W2. So we're Yes, it seems odd. >> You're making my point. [laughter] >> You're backing me up. I appreciate that. If we want to put a line item on everybody's paycheck for meals, let's do it. >> And and I guess the other the other kind of overall issue is just that again, we're trying to be um fiscally responsible and um trying to protect the uh the public dollars that we're entrusted with. So, >> but I appreciate you bringing that up, Karen, because I would want our educators to understand that that we're not putting that in there because we think that they can't know when it's responsible eating or something. Um, there is a reason and we live in an regulated industry and that's just the reality of it.
111>> I'll just pile on just because I'm the budget guy. When we go through budget exercises and we look to see where where do we reduce budgets, there's two places every budgeter goes to first time and that is travel and meals >> because they're not programmatically needed. >> Yeah. Can I make a motion? >> Yeah. I'm move that we approve the updates to fiscal policy manual section 16, food and beverage purchases as a first reading. >> I'll second. Okay. We have a motion and a second to approve the fiscal policy manual section 16 food and beverage purchases as a first reading. Is there any further discussion? All in favor, please say I. >> I. Any opposed? Right. Motion carries. Just as a side note as after what we learned today about the importance of the
112relationships of the teams of our teachers. Remember just thinking back on that I bet that we can find some sort of study or data that shows the impact of food and eating together on that camaraderie that then we can there's like a mathematical equation that gets to a student achievement there. I'm sure the effect size is at least 10. >> And I feel like we ought to have it in our back pocket. >> It's got to be at least over one. >> I think I think if chocolates involve 20. >> All right, we've got a second reading. Go ahead. >> Thank you. Um we'll move on to our second reading. We've got um uh one second reading tonight. This is also in the fiscal policy manual. This is section 12. This is uh regarding collection
113of accounts receivable and other debts. Um after we had discussed this in law and policy um Dr. How had um informed me of a conversation he had had with principles and we wanted to put in some clarifying language to make it express that um that uh that participation in graduation ceremonies is contingent upon uh full payment of unpaid balances. However, with the exception of lunch balances, that was um what law and policy had intended and we just wanted to make sure that our language reflected what law and policy intended and what uh Dr. Howard requested from the from principles. So, with that, um I present to you uh section section 12 of the fiscal policy manual and I'm happy to answer any additional questions. Uh >> if there are no questions, I'll entertain a motion.
114>> [snorts] >> I'll move that we approve the updates to the fiscal policy manual section 12 collection of accounts receivable and other debts as a second and final reading. >> I'll second. >> Oh, Connie seconds. >> All right, Connie. >> We have a motion and a second to approve the updates to the fiscal policy manual section 12 collection of accounts receivable and other debts as a second and final reading. Is there any further discussion on this? I just want to say I think it's great because having gone to the graduations this week, it's important for those kids to be able to walk across that stage and something that is largely out of their control should not be the thing that keeps them from doing that. So, thank you for making sure that we can do
115this right. All in favor, please say I. >> I. I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. >> Thank you, board members. I just want to point out that Clark and Ben are not here and we're going to get out before 9ine. >> We should all make sure he knows that. >> I also want to point out that Clark Nelson spoke for four and a half minutes at graduation. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. [laughter] >> Wow. >> All right. >> Yeah, because I get crap every year. So, I was like, "Fine, Clark. [laughter] Um, we do not have a superintendent report. Did you have anything though to update us on? >> Yeah, I just wanted to say uh two quick things if that's okay. Um, while everyone talked about the amazing graduations, I wanted to give
116you some pretty staggering numbers. We had 4,285 diplomas awarded. >> It's amazing. and 25 certificates of completion at 11 schools where we had graduation. So, pretty exciting. Um, I do want to draw everyone's attention to the negotiated agreement that you all ratified today. Appendix G talks about how PLC's are to be run in the Granite School District. It is a guiding document that leads us back to the things we learned today in our PLC training with Mike Mattis. Um, it's a pretty special uh thing that we've got in our negotiated agreement. I'm excited about it. It's going to lead to improved student outcomes. >> Thanks, Mitch. Julie, do you have anything? >> I do not have anything. >> Okay, Kim. >> I feel under pressure now. Um just a really quick update. The Salt Lake
117County Parks and Rec Advisory Committee meeting was held this month. Nothing substantial to report, just a lot of, you know, new leadership talking about maintenance expenses. The biggest thing is just for anybody listening that this might impact. One of the struggles that they're having is the um problems that ebikes and e- scooters are causing to trails and and even causing problems with collisions with pedestrians and other things because people are using them in areas that are not designated. And so maybe just throw that out if anyone listening rides an ebike or e- scooter, you know, just make sure you're following the guidelines about where to use them. That's all I have. Thanks. Connie, >> just a reminder that Friday night is USBA um the delegate assembly. Um it starts at 6:00. Yeah. Dinner and then
118they I don't know. They haven't told us who's coming. >> Yeah. >> You know. >> Well, I I still remember. Oh, good. I don't They didn't tell us, but there will be some legislators there. >> And then Saturday morning, it begins at 8:00. >> 9 8 >> Is it going to be broadcast to you? No. Broadcast. >> Um, >> is it going to be on Zoom or >> God, you guys? >> I don't I don't think so. I don't it I No, I don't think I don't believe it is. But you know what? I'll find out for you. >> Thank you. Because I >> That includes breakfast though, right? So 9:00. >> Yeah, that doesn't even >> like if I'm there at 8:50 under the tax limit. >> Only if it's in the guard rails
119of the policy. >> The president >> Oh, they have their own policy. >> Yeah, but the breakfast is never good there, >> right? They have a terrible breakfast every year. Don't do it. Fruit and donuts. >> Yeah, it's >> it's not worth it. >> Yeah, it start. So, the real one starts at 9:00. They've got from 9 till 12, >> but um so whoever's supposed to be there, >> I'll be there. >> Are you the backup? >> But I think we need a backup because it's Clark and I bet Clark's out of town. Is Clark gonna be there? >> I don't know. >> Well, I'll be there. But I think I'm doing a voter. >> This is a voting. >> Also, >> I'm the par parliamentarian. >> Well, >> so I'll be sitting next to
120Todd the whole time. >> No, but no, but you're going to have to tell her. >> I'll be there and then you'll be there, Connie. >> Or no, >> Saturday morning I will. Probably not. >> Do we get two voting members? Remind me how many voting members we get? Two. Two. Two. And Connie and I will be there Saturday then. >> Okay. And we don't vote Friday night. So, >> no, there's no voting Friday. >> So, we're fine. >> Information. Okay. Chris, do you have anything? >> Nope. >> Carrie. >> So, I just wanted to make mention I'm on the benefits committee. This kind of isn't benefits committee, but it sort of is. Um, so there there's a wellness challenge that's always thrown out there throughout the year and it's just for our, you know,
121we're trying to look at a lot of different ways for prevention because if you can find ways to help people be healthy, it's just going to say number one, we want people healthy first and foremost and we want them healthy and happy, but also there's there's just good physical reasons to to have them be healthy too as far as insurance purposes. And so we're always looking at prevention. But anyway, the wellness rock challenge. It's literally guys, it's like literally this rock. So granite rock. Anyway, and so they passed this, but this is like a prized little trophy. And so um for the first time since they've done this challenge, we have backtoback winner of Fox Hills Elementary. >> Wow. >> So their faculty like as a whole, and there's like if you read Burke's email,
122there's like all the breakdown, but I won't go into that. But um and then we have two individual winners, Paige from Moss Elementary and Ben from Frost Elementary who have been on their own little wellness journey and have lost a lot of weight and become more active and and so I just wanted to call out our to not call out to shout out our winners um and tell them congrats and hopefully more schools can get on board with a with a challenge as it rolls out next year. So, and thanks to our [snorts] um HR team for tracking all of that and putting it together. That's all I have. >> And just a reminder to all the employees to go get your wellness check done before December. June and July are great times to go
123do that. Um I you guys all got the information from our law and policy. So, um I don't think you need an update here. You saw some of the stuff the first readings that we have. We do have a couple others that are have been requested. Um but let us know if you guys have any others. Um is there if there's no objection having reached stand agenda