The Wasatch County School District Board of Education on Thursday approved final trust‑land spending plans for both secondary and elementary schools and cleared a slate of vendor contracts and purchases tied to facilities and the new Deer Creek High School, while tabling the agenda item to select a contractor for State Road 113 improvements.

District staff said the trust‑land plans allocate state trust lands revenue directly to school community councils, which determine academic priorities and spending. “This is money that comes in from the state that as far as, like, the board's concerned, this isn't part of your budgeting process,” said Dr. Derek Peterson as he introduced the secondary plans. “The community council will analyze data within the school. They will determine their greatest academic needs and that's where the money goes.”

Board members approved the secondary plans by voice vote after brief discussion; Dr. Peterson noted such funds commonly pay for support for English language learners, classroom aides, teacher conference attendance and summer collaboration time for staff. District staff asked the board to approve the elementary plans as well; those plans include funds used to support “science of reading” K‑3 professional development, classroom manipulatives and stipends for teachers who serve on leadership or intervention teams.

Votes at a glance
- Approval of secondary school trust‑land final reports — approved (motion to approve presented by Dr. Derek Peterson; second recorded; voice vote). See article provenance for transcript excerpts.
- Approval of elementary school trust‑land final reports — approved (motion and second recorded; voice vote).
- Tabling of the RFP consideration for State Road 113 construction (Deer Creek High School) — motion to table approved.
- Asphalt maintenance contract (slurry seal) — approved: Morgan Pavement, $55,800 (recommended by facilities staff; motion and second recorded; voice vote). The work covers parking‑lot overlayment on a multi‑year schedule, including North Wasatch Learning Academy, West Campus and the pool parking lot, and includes striping restoration.
- Furniture vendor for Deer Creek High School — approved: Workplace Elements selected as single vendor; pricing to be finalized and returned to the board next month (committee scoring process described by staff; motion and second recorded; voice vote). Staff said the award will be charged to the new high school's FF&E budget.
- Fertilizer and grounds application — approved: Great Basin Turf Products, purchase not to exceed $10,976 (staff described the vendor as sole‑source for both fertilizer supply and district‑wide application because of specialized equipment).
- Purchase of replacement maintenance truck — approved: Labrum Ford, $58,656.40 (staff recommended “best value” under state law; motion and second recorded; voice vote). Staff said the truck will be factory ordered with an estimated delivery in August or September and that the district budgeted for a service bed and snow plow.

Board discussion and context
Board members asked about outcomes from prior trust‑land spending; Dr. Peterson and other staff said results vary by goal but that the funds have helped schools respond quickly to data and support priorities without going through the district’s general budget process. A board member praised Daniels Canyon School for “chasing their goals” and noted parent and teacher involvement on community councils.

On procurement items, facilities staff explained the asphalt work is the routine slurry‑seal overlayment performed about every five years and that the vendor will restore striping. For Deer Creek High School furniture, staff described a scoring process that compared specific items (for example, classroom chairs and desks) across bidders and then recommended a single vendor that the committee judged able to supply the full school; specific total pricing will be returned to the board once quantities are finalized. Staff said the furniture award will be paid from the new high school's FF&E budget.

The fertilizer purchase drew questions about pricing and the sole‑source justification; facilities staff explained Great Basin Turf supplies the fertilizer and has the wide‑tire equipment needed to apply product district‑wide without damaging turf. On the truck purchase, staff cited state law requiring selection of “best value, not best price” and described Labrum Ford’s local support of district events and willingness to service vehicles locally during the warranty period as factors in the recommendation.

The board tabled the RFP consideration for State Road 113 improvements for Deer Creek High School; a motion to table was made and approved, and the district will return with the item at a later date.

What the board did not do
The meeting record shows the board took no final action on the Road 113 contractor selection and did not adopt any new policies. Public comment was offered but no community speaker presented testimony that changed the record on the listed actions.

Looking ahead
District staff said the furniture vendor will return itemized pricing next month for board approval; staff also noted lead times for the factory‑ordered truck are subject to production schedules and that the district will determine disposition of the old 2001 truck (auction or donation).