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Tooele school board approves state-funded RFP for Springboard school, advances fee schedule and several policies
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Summary
The Tooele Board of Education approved an RFP to hire a continuous-improvement expert for a Springboard-designated school using a one-time state allocation of $375,000, advanced the 2026–27 student-fee schedule to a second read, and approved trust-land spending plans and several policy updates.
The Tooele Board of Education on Monday approved an RFP to hire a continuous-improvement expert to support the Digital Education Center after the state designated it a Springboard school.
The board heard district staff explain that Springboard schools receive a one-time allocation of $375,000 from the Utah State Board of Education and that part of that funding must be used to contract with a continuous-improvement consultant. Emily (board member) moved to approve the RFP; Valerie Shields seconded the motion, which passed with one dissent from board member Scott Mellor.
The board’s approval followed staff testimony about the scoring process for the RFP and that the grant funding is reimbursable. District staff summarized the required school-improvement plan and the membership of the improvement committee, which includes teachers, an administrator, an area director, a board member and two parents.
Board member Scott Mellor cast the lone dissent and questioned the use of taxpayer-related funds even when provided by the state, saying it was still “about $25,000 that is coming from taxpayer money.” The board did not change the award recommendation, and the RFP will proceed according to the grant timeline.
The meeting included several other formal actions. The board approved the 2026–27 trust-land spending plans after a presentation explaining that trust-lands revenue are managed by the State’s School Institutional Trust Funds office and distributed to schools for locally decided, academically focused uses. The board also approved a consolidated GRAMA records-access policy that retires 14 older policies and adds clearer timelines and updated Utah code references.
On student fees, district staff presented a proposed 2026–27 schedule and reviewed recent changes in state law (HB142) that affect fee waivers: (1) waiver eligibility for up to two out-of-state trips, (2) a principal-developed action plan required for a second waiver, and (3) documentation standards for fee-waiver eligibility. The board voted to advance the fee schedule to the required second read so members and the public can review full fee details before final action.
On policies, the board moved several proposals forward: a revised remediation and makeup-credit policy for secondary students was advanced to a second read to ensure compliance with state code, and a revised personal-technology policy tied to Senate Bill 69 (shifting restrictions from classroom hours to school hours) was given a first read and directed back to policy committee with implementation guidance requested by board members.
The board ended its open session with committee reports and a motion to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters.
What’s next: the student-fee schedule and several revised policies will return to the board for the required subsequent reads so the public and members can review final language and procedural guidance.
