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Canyons Board approves negotiated pay agreements and reviews tentative budget that includes proposed 5.8% tax increase
Summary
The board unanimously approved 2026–27 negotiated agreements for teachers, support professionals and administrators and reviewed a tentative budget that includes a proposed property tax increase of about $6.87 million (≈5.8%) to fund COLAs, capital and two teachers for the Innovation Center; a Truth in Taxation hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2026.
At its May 19 meeting the Canyons Board of Education approved three negotiated agreements for 2026–27 (teachers/CEA, educational support professionals/ESP, and administrators) after business administrator Leon Wilcox summarized terms related to insurance premium cost sharing, step increases and a split cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) component that is partly contingent on a Truth in Taxation (TNT) tax hearing.
Wilcox said the district and employees will share approximately $1.4 million in insurance premium increases, with the district covering roughly $1.12 million and employees $281,000. The teacher package includes a $950 increment for those on the 186‑day schedule, a 1.85% COLA based on step 20 and additional contingent COLA funding (about 0.75% of the COLA) that will be held pending TNT approval. Wilcox said if the TNT increase is approved, each teacher’s total pay increase next year would amount to approximately $2,575 when combined with state educator salary adjustments.
The board then received a first presentation of the tentative 2026–27 budget and the required property tax impact statement. Wilcox said the proposed property tax increase is approximately $6,871,000 (about 5.8%) and outlined planned uses: roughly $2.161M to fund the contingent 0.75% COLA portion for employees, $210,000 to hire two teachers for the Canyons Innovation Center, and $4.5M to increase the capital fund to support future general‑obligation debt for rebuilding aging elementary schools. He explained that the district will hold proposed TNT revenue in a restricted account until the TNT hearing (scheduled Aug. 4) and described how employee pays will be adjusted retroactively if the TNT vote is approved.
Wilcox also proposed modest increases to school meal prices (elementary lunch +$0.50 to $2.50; secondary lunch +$0.75 to $3.00) to address food‑service cost pressures and noted the lunch fund balance is projected to draw down over coming years without adjustments.
The board voted unanimously to approve the negotiated agreements (teacher, ESP and administrators) and later continued budget deliberations, scheduling additional budget discussions and the TNT hearing dates. No final budget appropriation or tax levy was adopted at the meeting; the TNT process and a public budget hearing remain scheduled steps.
