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Tooele superintendent outlines plan to cover $12.8M shortfall; options include $50M bond and incremental tax increases
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Riley Ernst and business administrator Lark Reynolds told the board the district faces a $12.8 million ongoing revenue shortfall, described one-time and ongoing options (state relief, reserve transfers, a $50M MBA bond, or staged tax increases), and asked the board to authorize pursuing solutions that avoid job losses while the district seeks state aid and other low-cost financing.
Superintendent Dr. Riley Ernst and business administrator Lark Reynolds presented a midyear budget update that the Tooele County School District is approximately $12,800,000 short in ongoing revenues to cover current salaries and benefits.
Ernst said the shortfall traces to a retroactive change in state code and reduced state allocations that began taking effect in November. He told the board legislators have authorized the Utah State Board of Education to allocate up to $10,000,000 to mitigate the midyear adjustment, and the district expects a 5% WPU (weighted pupil unit) increase worth about $4,800,000 annually. Ernst said the $10,000,000 would be applied to the current fiscal year while the WPU increase is ongoing.
The presentation outlined options to plug the…
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