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Park City School Board Ready To Approve $5.6 Million Tax Increase

PCSD

The Park City School Board meets  Tuesday and a $5.6 million  tax increase will likely be approved. A two year contract approval is expected for the Business Administrator Todd Hauber along with a tunnel discussion and other policy decisions. Carolyn Murray has this:

The 5.6 million dollar increase will translate into about 23 dollars for every 100,000 dollars in property value. The formula for business owners will be 42 dollars per 100,000 dollars of value. There has not been a school tax increase since 2014 which was for 3 million dollars.  Prior to that there was an increase in 2012 for 4 million.

The school board is expected to approve the 2018 adjustments along with the 2019 budget.  The teacher contracts are also set to be approved which is based on the mediations done last year and the subsequent pay raises given to staff and licensed professionals. 

“It was part of the multi-year contract. Last spring they entered into this agreement and this agreement is good through June 2020. And we continue to be the highest paying district in the state.  Our new teacher pay starts at $50,000.”

Even with student growth projected at just 1 percent next year District Communications Director Melinda Colton says Park City needs more special education teachers and interventionists.

“Well a lot of it is just to continue to meet the demands that we have right now. So if you look at the break down.  We need more teachers. We need more Special Ed teachers.  In fact this is a great time for people to be going into special education. We’re trying to get those just as fast as we can and there’s just not a lot of people going into it anymore. Then the other thing that we’ve added as you’ve noticed is Secondary Assistant Principals that will help with all the continued requirements we’re getting from the state, from the legislature and then every school will get an additional interventionist who can help with those struggling students.  We really need to meet their needs.”

The board will consider a resignations policy that would pay a sort of bounty to teachers who alert the district of their intentions to leave.  The earlier they tell the district, the more of a payout.

Colton says it a new policy that they’ll watch and adjust if needed.

        “Right now it’s $500.00 but we’ve inserted two new options that gives us a jump start on hiring for that coming school year so if they notify us if it’s a resignation or retirement. If we know by January 1 it’s a $1,000.00 bonus. If it’s February 1, it’s $750.00. We’ve never really had that before and we hope that that gets people thinking a little bit sooner about if they are going to leave so we can get a jump start on getting the best people hired.”  

The board will review the tunnel options for the crossing at   the high school and the LDS Seminary Building. District Administrator, Todd Hauber says it will be paid for by the City along with Federal Highway funds.  He says the City wants to get it installed before the 248 corridor studies are underway. The District will have to cede some property on the high school side but no outlay of school funds will used for the project.

The proposed budget can be found on the district website: pcschools.us under Board docs.   Public input is scheduled for 6 pm. 

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