The Granite School District Board of Education gathers Friday, Aug. 7, for a strategic retreat — the first board session since Tuesday's regular meeting, where Millcreek parents had the chance to raise concerns about special education staffing cuts at three neighborhood elementary schools.

The retreat begins at 8 a.m. and features presentations from board President Nicole McDermott, Vice President Kris Nguyen and member Julie Jackson. The posted agenda does not list specific discussion topics or include a public comment period.

The board has not publicly addressed the half-time resource teacher cuts confirmed in a district FAQ published July 10: Morningside Elementary dropped from 1.0 to 0.5 FTE, Moss Elementary from 2.0 to 1.5, and Penn Elementary from 1.5 to 1.0. Districtwide, elementary paraeducator hours fell 35.6% — from 8,263 hours per week last year to 5,322 this year, a loss of 2,941 hours.

The district has said it is reallocating recaptured FTE to add Special Class classrooms for students with intensive needs, citing a 78% increase in high-needs students since 2023-24 and more than $3.5 million in unattained special education revenue.

In its July 10 FAQ, the district acknowledged that lack of staff or budget is not an acceptable reason to reduce, suspend or omit required IEP services, and directed parents to raise concerns with school administrators immediately.

The retreat also comes 11 days before the Truth in Taxation public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6 p.m., where the board will take public comment on a proposed property tax increase of $21.7 million, about 11.2% above the certified rate. Millcreek homeowners can speak at that hearing before the board votes on the final rate.

Classes across Granite School District begin Wednesday, Aug. 12.

As we reported July 31, the Aug. 4 regular meeting was the last full board session before school starts. The Aug. 4 agenda included Patron Participation but no formal special education item. Minutes from that meeting have not been posted.