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Board approves six contracted positions after finance committee prioritization
Summary
Following finance committee review and cabinet prioritization, the board approved new contracted positions including HR specialists, safe‑school and counseling roles, a refugee services coordinator and communications support to sustain services after ESSER funding ends.
Salt Lake City School District trustees approved a slate of contracted positions on April 16 after commissioners and administration described prioritization done by the cabinet and finance committee.
Business administrator Alan Kearsley and Superintendent Grant presented six positions (several funded temporarily through ESSER) recommended for ongoing funding: an elementary counseling specialist; a social worker for the Reset program; a safe school specialist; a refugee services coordinator; two human resources specialists (2.0 FTE total) to speed hiring and background checks; and a marketing/graphics specialist to increase district communications capacity.
The finance committee confirmed it had reviewed a longer list and prioritized these roles for continuation as ESSER funding sunsets. Trustees discussed the district’s historically lean management compared with peers and whether adding overhead would free up schools to focus on instruction. Multiple board members said many of these district roles provide direct services to students (counseling, refugee support, safe‑school specialist) or enable schools to hire and retain staff (HR specialists).
After the discussion, the board voted to move the positions to the action agenda and then approved them by roll call. Superintendent Grant said the positions are intended to sustain supports (counselors, social work, safety and staffing capacity) that were piloted or supported via temporary federal funds.
Cost details were discussed at the finance committee and trustees requested ongoing reporting on implementation and student‑facing impacts.
