The Granite School District board meets Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m. with a 10.26% property tax increase still awaiting state certification.

The session is the board's first regular meeting of the new school year. Fifth-graders from Wilson Elementary are scheduled to open with a presentation during the welcome segment, according to the board's posted agenda. Board members Kyle Anderson and Aaron Whitehead are also listed as presenters, though the agenda does not specify their topics.

The meeting comes two weeks after the board voted 6-1 on Aug. 18 to approve the tax increase, which is projected to generate $21 million for the district's operating budget. Board President Nicole McDermott presided over the Truth in Taxation hearing that evening.

For a home assessed at $579,000, the increase adds about $125 per year to the district property tax bill, raising it from $1,152 to $1,278, Hoodline reported. A business of equal value will pay about $228 more annually.

The Utah Tax Commission must still certify the new rate before it takes effect. The district attempted a $17 million property tax increase in 2025, but the Tax Commission denied that request due to a clerical error, according to Hoodline.

At the Aug. 18 hearing, Superintendent Ben Horsley said the district needed the revenue "in order to provide services ongoing and to pay for class size reduction to help with our reading initiative," according to Fox 13. Business Administrator Todd Hauber had warned board members at a June 16 meeting that the district faced an immediate $21 million operating shortfall without the increase.

Not everyone supported the move. Resident Lance Walker told the board at the Aug. 18 hearing he was retired and on a fixed income. "I shouldn't have to keep paying school taxes forever and ever and ever," Walker said, according to Fox 13.

The board also faces an open seat. Eleven candidates interviewed Aug. 25 for the District 1 vacancy, which covers Holladay and East Millcreek and includes Olympus and Skyline high schools. As we reported Aug. 5, the board opened a filing window for the seat. No appointment has been publicly confirmed.

The Tax Commission has not announced when it will rule on the new rate.