Wasatch School Board amends FY24, adopts FY25 budget and ratifies employee agreements

The Wasatch School District board voted Wednesday to amend the fiscal 2024 revenue and expenditure budgets and to adopt the district's fiscal 2025 budgets, moves district officials said will preserve compliance, fund student activities and prepare for payments on the new high school. Business Administrator Jason Watt told the board it would "recommend that the board both amend the FY24 budget and approve the FY25 budget."

The board approved amendments the presentation listed to several funds, including an increase to the general fund (Watt described a roughly $5.5 million increase, a 5.3% change), a $500,000 amendment to the student activity fund, about $42,284 to the tax-increment/charter fund and a $300,000 amendment to the foundation enterprise fund. Watt said the district's general fund expenditures and revenues move from the roughly $109.3 million level to just under $115 million in the FY25 proposal and credited a stable health-insurance pool for limiting cost increases. He also described capital spending tied to the new high school and said the district recently completed the last payment on the old Wasatch High School several years early.

Board members discussed fund balances and timing for lease-revenue bond payments on the new high school. "Before you do any conclusions about that, let's get through the end of fiscal '24 and then see where ... revenues are," Watt said in response to a question about the capital fund. Several trustees pressed for clarity on the capital fund's ending balance and when large principal-and-interest payments on new construction would begin.

The board also ratified multiple employee negotiation agreements that district negotiators said were overwhelmingly supported by staff. The board approved the licensed employee agreement, the educational support professional agreement, the supervisor employee agreement and the administrative employee agreement. Negotiations presenter (identified in the meeting) described the licensed agreement as doubling the seven-year starting salary from about $36,000 to "near 66" over that span and called out a new maternity-leave provision; teacher representative Jenna Horrocks read more than 100 survey comments thanking the board and called the maternity-leave language "incredibly generous." "I'm so impressed with the maternity leave included in this compensation package," Horrocks said.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to amend the FY2024 revenue and expenditure budgets (general fund amend, student activity +$500,000, tax increment +~$42,284, foundation +$300,000): moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. - Motion to approve and adopt FY2025 budgets for general, student activity, tax increment financing, debt service, capital, local building authority, food services and enterprise funds: moved, seconded and approved. - Ratification of licensed employee negotiations agreement: approved by voice vote. - Ratification of educational support professional, supervisor and administrative employee agreements: each approved by voice vote. - Approval of administrator contracts referenced in the meeting for two district leaders: approved by voice vote.

Why it matters: Board leaders said the package strengthens recruitment and retention in a rapidly growing valley and protects instructional spending. Board members and staff told the meeting that roughly 89.6% of general fund expenses in FY25 are expected to be salaries and benefits, underscoring the budget's emphasis on compensation. Public commenters, including classroom teachers and school leaders, repeatedly framed the approvals as necessary to remain competitive and to maintain instructional continuity.

What's next: District staff will close out FY24 results and implement the adopted FY25 budgets; Watt and administration will track revenue updates from the county (valuation information) and report back on the capital fund cash flow as invoices and bond payments shift into the new fiscal year. The board adjourned and said it will meet next month.