Residents fault teen resource centers’ funding, urge transparency around public dollars and McKinney-Vento data use

Organizers of a December community forum read written answers from the Davis School District about teen resource centers and then heard sustained criticism from parents and community members who said the programs are undercounted, under-accountable and in some cases funded with public dollars labeled as donations.

Becky, reading prepared remarks from Annie Massey, said the Davis Education Foundation (DEF) operates as a private nonprofit with "limited public transparency, no direct taxpayer oversight" and that city councils have transferred taxpayer dollars, including federal housing funds, in support of teen-center initiatives. "These federal housing dollars were diverted into a project the public did not vote on and cannot directly oversee," Becky said at the forum.

The forum moderator read the district's written response saying teen centers have been constructed with donations and state teen-center grants and that the district funds a 5.9-hour-per-day staff position for each center. The district described teen centers as an integral part of high-school counseling operations and said parents may volunteer and participate in programs.

Speakers disputed that characterization. Becky said state and local records show large public transfers to support centers, and cited a Layton City transfer reported at roughly $396,000 and legislation that she said provided $15 million in state funding plus $3 million in private support — figures she summarized as about $18 million allocated by 2024 to build teen centers at more than 70 schools. She also argued the district uses McKinney-Vento homelessness counts to persuade local councils and communities to fund centers, and that community homeless-service providers lack access to the same data, creating what she called a "data monopoly."

Forum participants also raised parental-rights and third-party-provider concerns. Becky said some centers are operated by external organizations (she cited Switchpoint as the operator of one Layton teen living center) and alleged parents must sign consent forms that transfer aspects of care or custody to third parties. "This raises concerns regarding Utah parental rights and child welfare law," the prepared remarks said.

The district's written answer emphasized donations and grants and described teen centers as services coordinated with counseling teams, with parent communication required when students need Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions. The district did not provide the forum with a line-item accounting of funds for teen centers.

Community members at the meeting called for additional transparency and oversight, including clearer accounting of public transfers and how McKinney-Vento data is used. Organizers suggested asking legislators or requesting an audit to determine how scholarship and grant dollars flow through nonprofit partners.

The forum did not produce a formal finding; next steps suggested by attendees include tracking municipal transfers, seeking records from the district and DEF, and asking state oversight bodies or the legislature for audits or reviews.