The Park City Board of Education approved a tax increase at its meeting on Tuesday.
Under the approved increase, a primary home valued at $1.1 million will be taxed roughly $2,300 per year. Second homeowners and businesses will pay nearly twice as much.
Board member Andrew Caplan said most of the increased revenue will be used for compensation in an effort to boost staffing and retention.
“And that’s probably going to continue to be the driver of local taxes for us - is that we are struggling to attract and retain employees in every role,” Caplan said.
Buses are fully staffed with drivers as school begins this week, but Mike Tanner, chief operating officer for the district, noted that cafeterias are dealing with shortages. The school district has received just two applications for cafeteria jobs in the last six months for multiple openings.
The board said it wants to find a quick solution for the child care center that is set to close on Sept. 19 due to staffing shortages. It serves over a dozen families employed by the school district as well as other families in the community.
No concrete plans outside of increasing pay were discussed Tuesday but the board said it would consider an emergency meeting to take action. It wasn’t clear what that action might be, as the center operates independently from the district.
Park City Education Association Co-President Mary Morgan said that families looking elsewhere for care are seeing prices more than double the $1,200 the center charges per month.