Public commenter calls for accountability, walkout and superintendent resignation over district spending

A speaker identified himself as Steve Garrett and representing a "Tooele tax hike referendum" group used his three minutes during public comment to criticize district leadership and call for accountability. "My name is Steve Garrett with, Tooele tax hike referendum. I'm just here to let you guys know that we haven't forgotten. We're not going away, and accountability will be coming whether it's now, 2 years, or 4 years from now," Garrett said. He accused the board of "display[ing] a flagrant" attitude toward county taxpayers and said he saw examples of hardship in local social‑media posts that he read to the board. Garrett cited an unverified figure: he said the district budget "has increased by a 107% while educating only 6% more children" between 2017 and 2024, and called for a student walkout on Constitution Day, Sept. 17, "in protest for the lack of accountability." He concluded his remarks by saying, "It's time to resign." Nut graf: These remarks were made during the public comment portion of the Tuesday meeting and represent the views of the speaker; the board did not respond during the public‑comment period. The transcript shows Garrett read or paraphrased social‑media posts about families seeking emergency funds, then connected those examples to his broader criticism of district fiscal decisions and superintendent compensation. Garrett urged new leadership and accountability from the board. Ending: The board proceeded to the academic presentation after public comment without taking action on Garrett's demands; the public comment period is a listening opportunity, and the board does not reply from the dais during that section of the meeting.