Principals from Hughes Middle School and Virgin Valley Elementary told the advisory board the school year opened smoothly, but staffing and budget details remain unsettled pending district budget reports.

JL Wilson, Hughes Middle School principal, said enrollment was about 549 students, slightly above projection but below funding formula numbers; he expects funding based on 531 students. Wilson described a large number of students demonstrating measurable growth on SBAC tests and rewarded them: “I was able to feed, give or take, 477 middle school students last week on Thursday because that was my promise to them that if they showed growth … we delivered to the high school last Thursday to the freshmen, that tested last year with us and then rewarded this year's seventh and eighth graders,” Wilson said. He also reported moving from a block schedule to a six‑period day because of staffing and that extracurricular tryouts — flag football, cross country and drill team — had started.

Matt Bennett, principal of Virgin Valley Elementary School, said his school also had a strong opening and was largely staffed in classrooms though some support positions remained unfilled while budgets are finalized. Bennett said budget figures for staffing would be available after the district’s count day and regional budget release in the days after Labor Day. He reported one custodial retirement over the summer and a new autism program staff member joining from another valley campus. Bennett described planned field trips, including grade‑level trips to Zion National Park in September, an annual “speed meet” at the high school in October, and fire‑safety programming scheduled in October.

Both principals emphasized classroom stability and student recognition. Bennett noted class‑size management and grade‑level enrollments: “I rolled up one of the third grade teachers into fourth grade this year because our fourth grade numbers are 113,” he said, and described plans to monitor counts through the district’s count day before making additional staffing decisions.

Discussion items were largely informational; no formal actions were taken. Principals and board members agreed to continue monitoring enrollment, staffing authorization from the district, and upcoming activity logistics.

Ending: Board members asked principals to follow up with specifics after district budget allocations are released and to report back if additional assistance is needed.