Holladay families who send their children to Olympus or Skyline high schools will soon have a new voice on the Granite School District Board of Education. The board announced Aug. 4 that a vacancy in District 1 takes effect Dec. 31, and the filing window to apply began Wednesday, Aug. 5.

The seat is currently held by Julie Jackson, who took office in January 2021. The district has not stated publicly why the seat will be vacant.

Interested candidates have until Wednesday, Aug. 19, to file. The application requires a notarized Declaration of Candidacy, a resume and financial disclosure through the EasyVote portal, all due by Thursday, Aug. 20. Materials should be emailed to board secretary Stacy Bushell at [email protected]. In-person filing and notary services are available by appointment at 2500 S. State St., Room B-203; call 385-646-4523 to schedule.

The Salt Lake County Clerk will verify candidate eligibility.

Public interviews Aug. 25

The board will interview candidates Tuesday, Aug. 25, starting as early as 4 p.m. in Auditorium A at the Granite Education Center, 2500 S. State St. The meeting is open to the public. A second round may follow Sept. 1 before the 5 p.m. administrative session.

The board plans to appoint a new District 1 member on Sept. 1. The appointee's term begins January 2027, when they will take the oath of office.

Tax increase looms over appointment

Whoever fills the seat will join a board navigating significant fiscal pressure. Granite is proposing a 10.26% property tax increase that would generate $21.1 million in new revenue, according to the official Salt Lake County tax notice. For an average-assessed home valued at $579,000, the annual district tax bill would rise from $1,152 to about $1,278.

The Truth-in-Taxation hearing is Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6 p.m. at the Granite Education Center. As we reported Aug. 4, the district has cut over $7 million in operational costs over the past two years but says it still needs the revenue.

At the board's June 16 meeting, Business Administrator Todd Hauber warned that without the increase, "We will be 21 million dollars short of balancing the budget and we would have to go to budget reductions, immediately."

Board member Kim Chandler cast the lone "no" vote on both the interim budget and the preliminary tax rate at that meeting. The remaining six members, including Jackson, voted yes.

The seven-member board oversees a district serving more than 60,000 students. The filing deadline for the District 1 seat is Wednesday, Aug. 19.