A Granite School District mentor who works with chronically absent students at Millcreek-area junior highs says state funding cuts are putting his program's future in doubt.

Joaquin Moreno, a Check & Connect mentor in the district, published an op-ed in the Deseret News on Sunday, Oct. 18, warning that Utah's HB2 (2025) reduced the district's funding for gang prevention, special education and teacher retention. Those are the same funding streams his mentorship program depends on.

"While we're concerned about whether we'll have a job next school year, the bigger concern is how many students we'll lose the chance to impact," Moreno wrote.

Check & Connect pairs at-risk students with a dedicated mentor who tracks attendance, grades and behavior. Mentors meet with students regularly and contact families to head off prolonged absences. Moreno described a practice his colleagues call the "10-day drop," in which students who miss more than 10 days without contacting the school are withdrawn from enrollment.

For students on his caseload, Moreno wrote, he reached out to parents to prevent those withdrawals. Many other students did not get the same attention.

The funding pressure is not abstract. The Granite School District's budget FAQ, published in August, lists HB2 among several state actions that decreased the district's funding for special education, gang prevention and teacher retention.

The district identified nearly $5 million in savings through a budget-reduction exercise and has cut $7 million over two years. Changes to the state's levy guarantee formula reduced anticipated state support to Granite by approximately $15 million over three years, according to the FAQ.

Moreno cited a Utah State Board of Education report showing approximately 23% of Utah students were chronically absent in 2025. Chronic absenteeism means missing at least 10% of the school year.

A randomized study of Check & Connect in Chicago Public Schools tested the model's effect on attendance. Students who started the program in grades five through seven were absent an average of 3.4 fewer days per year. The control group averaged 17 absent days, according to an evaluation published by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.

The program showed no measurable effect for students in grades one through four. Moreno's op-ed characterized the Chicago finding as "about 23% fewer school days," while the evaluation put the decrease at 20.2%.

Granite Superintendent Ben Horsley has acknowledged the limits of what schools can tackle alone. In a case study published by Promise Partnership Utah in May, Horsley said schools "can't do it alone" and that having outside partners "helps make sure students and families get the supports they need so schools can focus on learning." That partnership has set a goal of 100% high school graduation in South Salt Lake and West Millcreek by 2028.

Moreno wrote that he does not expect the program to receive all the funding it wants. But he urged lawmakers to provide consistent support, arguing that Check & Connect addresses more than attendance.

No response from Granite School District administration or state lawmakers regarding Moreno's concerns appears in public records as of publication.