Washington County school board sets $300,000 annual fee-waiver cap

The Washington County School District Board of Education unanimously approved a series of policy and fee changes on Sept. 28, including a $300,000 annual cap on school fee waivers, according to the meeting minutes. Policy 3400 on school fees was amended to clarify fee waivers for overnight activity trips and set the cap, Business Administrator Brent Bills told the board. The board also approved a change to the 2026-27 fee schedule, made after the state audit. It sets a maximum textbook fee of $250 per concurrent enrollment course on the state Office of Education's recommendation. ^[1]

The board approved Policy 1930 for the Salary Supplement for Highly Needed Educators program, with payments falling from $4,563 to $3,130 per eligible full-time educator as mandated by legislation, according to Executive HR Director Darin Thomas. It approved Policy 1331 on paid parental and postpartum leave, aligned with HB 329 to allow four weeks of paid foster care leave, and Policy 3740 on personal device use, which aligns with state code and lets parents request accommodations for brief non-instructional device use. It voted to delete Policy 5110 on architectural guidelines, which Rusty Taylor called outdated. The board also approved a consent agenda that included several school plan changes. ^[1]

In a work session, Assistant Superintendent Nate Esplin reported on elementary enrollment concerns. Last year's boundary change moved students from Desert Canyons Elementary to Bloomington and Little Valley elementary schools. Desert Canyons lost about 100 students from its 748 and has since grown back to 731, with about 446 on the Desert Canyons side and 275 on the White Dome side. Esplin said it has one empty classroom and the district will need options for next year, and he plans to return next meeting with ideas for possible boundary changes if the board wants to go that direction. Horizon Elementary had 633 students against 636 a year earlier, despite growth from Long Valley, and he said no action is needed there yet. ^[1]

Assistant Superintendent Cheri Stevenson said secondary enrollment is down about 1 percent overall, with more stable or growing numbers at intermediate schools. Taylor reported on high school boundary waivers under the new committee process: six of six requests approved for Dixie High, eight of eight for Snow Canyon High and one of seven for Desert Hills. He said the process has curtailed free transfers, and that cases of false information in enrollment have led to unenrollment and future ineligibility. ^[1]

The board met with Ivins City Council members Wayne Pennington and Dillon Hurt, who described growth, including a SITLA high-density project that could increase the city's population 15 to 20 percent and construction at the Black Desert Resort. The minutes record a discussion of housing for service workers, noting that Black Desert plans for 2,400 hourly workers and only 60 to 70 jobs paying above $50,000. ^[1]

Board member Burke Staheli reported that the Five County Association of Governments, with an $8.2 million budget and an aging fleet, would like 15 percent from the school districts. Superintendent Richard Holmes said other districts are pushing back, the minutes say Washington County's share equals the other four counties combined, and Bills noted district money must by state law go for education. Vice President LaRene Cox updated the board on Hildale water repairs and easement negotiations, with a public meeting postponed to November. ^[1]

Superintendent Richard Holmes recognized Maria Gonzalez, a fifth-grade dual immersion Spanish teacher at Paradise Canyon Elementary, who was named a national teacher of the year by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The board reviewed policies on out-of-state travel, which carries a 30-day public comment period, and student activities, along with options for the 2028-29 calendar. ^[1]