A committee report to the Uintah School District Board of Education on Jan. 8 flagged an enrollment projection that could reduce the district’s student count by roughly 260 next year and warned of a consequential budget impact.

Robin McClellan, reporting from a board committee meeting, said district projections show “we're gonna be about 260 down next year,” and that the decline would create “a $1,000,000 plus” impact on district revenues. Board members discussed how the loss of seniors between junior and senior year has contributed to the decline and that administrators are preparing attrition and staffing data to guide budget decisions.

The committee report also addressed several budget-related items: preschool construction spending, property sales and potential state action on school fees. Committee members said the district has expended a substantial portion of a $23 million preschool build-out (the committee cited about $18 million spent to date) and is balancing recent property purchases and sales. The board was told one pending sale will offset an unbudgeted deficit created by a property purchase.

Board members raised pending state-level developments on school fees. A board member asked whether the legislature had appropriated $45 million for school fees; administration responded that no appropriation had been seen and the matter remained pending in the legislative session.

Why it matters
- State funding and per-pupil revenue are the principal drivers of district budgets; a 260-student decline materially changes staffing and program planning.
- Construction expenditures and one-time property receipts influence short-term cash flow but do not replace ongoing per-pupil revenue.

What the board asked staff to do
Staff were asked to provide attrition rates, updated enrollment counts, and budget scenarios to principals and to return recommendations about staffing and budget adjustments as part of routine budget preparation.