At least five Utah school districts proposed property tax increases for the upcoming school year, stating that additional revenue is required to pay employees, maintain aging facilities, and fund future projects.
The Granite, Canyons, Provo, North Sanpete, and Juab school districts have all submitted proposals to raise property taxes. Under Utah's Truth in Taxation law, each district is required to hold a public hearing before any increase can be approved.
The proposals have drawn mixed reactions from residents. Monica Wilbur, a Granite School District taxpayer, questioned whether districts are spending taxpayer money responsibly during a school board meeting. She stated that funds should not be spent simply because they are considered a good idea and called for more responsibility with these funds.
Conversely, some residents argued that more funding is necessary to support students. Zach Myers, a father of a fourth-grade student in the Granite School District, expressed concern regarding increasing class sizes and suggested that the district should raise taxes even further to support students.
Specific district proposals include:
Granite School District's proposed budget includes a property tax increase of approximately $21.7 million. The district noted that the proposed rate increase was not approved by the State and that the intent of the increase is to address decreases in state revenue and new unfunded mandates.
Canyons School District is proposing to raise about $6.8 million. This includes approximately $2.4 million for cost-of-living pay increases and additional funding to hire two teachers for the new Canyons Innovation Center.
Provo School District is considering a property tax increase of about $3.1 million to support staff and teacher salary increases and to help cover bond payments.
Juab School District is seeking approximately $1.1 million. The district is proposing an adjustment to its Capital Outlay levy for improvements, remodeling, and expansion of the Career and Technical Education Building at Juab High School. The district noted that the reduction in the debt service levy may make the overall impact revenue-neutral or slightly lower for many taxpayers.
North Sanpete School District is proposing a $750,000 increase.
Billy Hesterman, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, stated that while education funding lacks a clearly defined benchmark, the association wants to ensure districts are stretching dollars as far as possible before requesting more. He noted that while there is a constant goal to fund education, there is no consensus on what constitutes being fully funded.
