The Uintah County School District board unanimously approved the district's final amended budget for fiscal year 2025 and adopted a preliminary budget for FY 2026 during its June 18 business meeting.

Business Administrator Troy Timothy presented the adjustments in a detailed packet that reflected several midyear changes, including accounting reclassifications between federal and state funding, an unplanned land purchase on North Vernal Avenue, electric-bus purchases and insurance/risk-management allocations. The board approved the amended FY 2025 budget and then adopted the preliminary FY 2026 budget, with the district's total preliminary budget for FY 2026 at about $100.29 million.

Timothy told the board the district reserved contingency funds and is withholding partial final payment on a preschool contractor until punch-list items are completed in September. He said the preschool project is substantially complete and should come in under budget with an $80,000 contingency remaining.

Superintendent Dr. Rick Woodford and the business office also reviewed planned timing for the district's fiscal hearings. Because Utah law requires a separate judgment-levy hearing, the board scheduled that public hearing for Aug. 6, one week before the regularly scheduled Aug. 13 board meeting. The board will execute required tax-rate paperwork after the public hearing; the business office said that paperwork will be signed by the board president after the hearing.

The board also approved several contracts and purchases that were budgeted in the FY 2025 plan, including a new 60-month postage lease, a $7,075 project to integrate school-fee payments into the district's accounting system (LINC), an antivirus/endpoint-protection purchase (CrowdStrike) for enhanced cyberdefense, playground work at Eagle View Elementary and a roof replacement project for Uinta High School. All purchases over $50,000 were listed in the packet and were included in the board vote.

All motions related to the amended FY 2025 budget and the preliminary FY 2026 budget passed unanimously. The board will finalize tax rates after the August judgment-levy hearing and the president's signature.