Jordan Public Schools board directs administration to recommend program and staffing reductions amid projected deficit

The Jordan Public School District Board of Education voted unanimously to direct the superintendent and administration to prepare recommendations for discontinuing programs or positions to reduce expenditures, board members said at a regularly scheduled meeting.

Superintendent Renee Case Evenson told the board the district will “start out with an unbalanced budget,” and presented projections showing a projected shortfall that administrators are working to address. “These are projections. The numbers are live,” Evenson said, describing the district’s approach to modeling revenue and expenses as enrollment and legislative actions evolve.

Why it matters: The resolution authorizes administrators to recommend which programs and positions could be curtailed or discontinued to close a budget gap that district staff estimate will require roughly $570,000 in adjustments based on current projections and known cost increases. Those adjustments could affect staffing, paraprofessional positions, a school psychologist allocation and other support services.

Details from the presentation

Evenson told the board the district began the current year expecting an expenditure/revenue gap of about $300,000 and now projects the current-year difference to be roughly $227,000. For the 2025–26 school year, she listed an estimated additional difference of about $342,000 tied to rising costs, changes in employer retirement contributions and other mandates. The administration presented a combined target adjustment of about $570,000; later slides summarized total proposed adjustments at $579,000.

To reach that target, administrators identified seven budget buckets they review against comparable districts: district-level administration, school-level administration, transportation, operations/maintenance, instruction (regular), instructional support and pupil support services. Specific staff and program proposals mentioned in the presentation included:

- Instruction: approximately $142,000 in adjustments, including two elementary teaching positions and shifts to stipends/6-plus pay; - Instructional support: roughly $62,000, including a 1.0 FTE student services position change; - Pupil support services: about $357,000 targeted reductions, including reducing a school psychologist from 2.0 FTE to 1.2 FTE and not filling open paraprofessional roles (a proposed reduction of six paraprofessional positions); - District administration: a roughly one-third reduction in the board budget and monitoring of unemployment insurance and insurance costs.

Evenson also said administrators are exploring other savings such as changing the district’s online course provider (from Elevate to a different vendor) and offering an early retirement incentive with revised terms. She said administrators will meet with principals and directors, review course registrations, and base many staffing recommendations on enrollment per-class and per-grade.

Board action and votes

After the presentation the board adopted a formal resolution directing the superintendent and administration to consider discontinuing programs or positions as needed and to make recommendations to the board. The motion to approve the resolution passed on a roll call vote with the following recorded yes votes: Molly Monia; Lauren Patterson; Rob Langhaim; Brian Hennen; Jenny Pesky; Christina Holton; and Chair Deb Palley. No nay votes were recorded.

Timeline and next steps

Evenson told the board she would return to the board with action items the following week, that employee notices and placement updates would occur after spring break, and that the proposed budget incorporating these adjustments will be presented in June. She noted statutory deadlines: board action on employee notices must be complete by June 30. The administration also plans a staff Google Meet to review impacts and to avoid blindsiding employees.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution directing administration to recommend program and position reductions — Motion approved (roll call: Monia, Patterson, Langhaim, Hennen, Pesky, Holton, Palley — all yes). Outcome: approved.

- Consent agenda (minutes of Feb. 10 and 24; monthly finance reports; numerous donations; hires and resignations; and a list of surplus kitchen and cafeteria equipment tied to a building project) — Motion to approve consent passed by voice vote. Outcome: approved.

- Land rental contract for district farmland (28 acres) — Board approved a one-year rental beginning 2025-04-01 at $275 per acre. Motion passed by voice vote. Outcome: approved.

What the board said

Chair Deb Palley called the resolution discussion “not new” to the board, saying the district has been engaged in rightsizing conversations at retreats and work sessions throughout the year. Evenson emphasized the uncertainty in projections and the need to base staffing on enrollment: “we staff based on enrollment,” she said.

What remains unclear

During the discussion administrators and board members repeatedly stressed that numbers are projections and could change with legislative action this session (for example, changes to paid family and medical leave or other new statutory costs). The final list of specific positions to be eliminated or reduced, and the exact savings tied to each recommended change, were not finalized at the meeting and will be returned to the board in subsequent action items.

Next steps

The board directed administration to return recommendations and follow the timeline Evenson outlined: staff notifications after spring break, board consideration of further items at the April meeting if needed, and a final budget proposal in June.