Granite School District projects $7 million shortfall for 2026; board to weigh cuts, levies and one‑time funds

District staff told the Granite School District Board of Education on Wednesday that the district faces an estimated $7 million shortfall for the 2026 budget year driven by state legislative changes, expiring one‑time funds and rising costs.

At a board study session, a district finance presenter said a state statute limits employer contributions to the Utah Retirement System hybrid program at 10 percent while the program’s actual cost is running about 10.8 percent, shifting roughly 0.8 percentage points of cost to employees. “So that difference, the 0.8%, is now the responsibility of the employee to pay into the Utah retirement system,” the staff member said.

The presenter said the district covered a similar gap this year with one‑time funds and now plans to use a combination of the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU), turnover savings and other ongoing sources to reduce the direct budget impact. Staff projected they can reduce roughly $2 million from the illustrative $7 million gap through internal trimming but said the district would still need to make additional decisions about retaining programs.

Why it matters: the shortfall affects classroom programs, personnel costs, facilities maintenance and long‑term capital plans. Staff listed several programs whose funding is ending — including gang prevention, highly…