Board study session centers on salaries, class-size trade-offs and aides; staff seeks direction for budget priorities

District finance and human-resources staff walked the Provo City School Board through budget trade-offs on March 28, showing the fiscal impact of class-size targets, step increases, pay raises, instructional assistants and insurance costs.

Devin (district finance staff) presented model scenarios the board can use to prioritize spending. She said changing elementary class-size targets produces large staffing effects: one scenario that reduced some class-size cutoffs would add 18 full‑time‑equivalent teachers at an estimated cost of about $1.7 million, while other class-size configurations in the presentation would add 25.5 FTEs at an estimated cost of roughly $2.4 million. Devin emphasized those figures were illustrative for board discussion and that facility capacity (classroom space, portables) is a practical constraint at some schools.

Salary and step calculations: Devin said one salary-step increase (a single-step across eligible employees) would cost roughly $1.8 million…