Draper-area homeowners in the Canyons School District would pay an extra $27 per year under a proposed property tax rate increase headed for a public hearing Tuesday, Aug. 4.
The district is asking to raise its certified tax rate for the 2026-2027 school year to fund cost-of-living raises for employees and hire two teachers for the Canyons Innovation Center, the career-tech campus set to open in August 2027 at the former eBay headquarters in Draper.
It's only the fourth time in the district's 17-year history that Canyons has proposed a certified rate increase.
What it costs
For the average $770,000 home in the district, the rate change would add $72 per year on the "Canyons School District" line of the tax notice but subtract $45 on the "Canyons School Debt Svce" line, according to the district's announcement published Monday, July 27. The net hit: $27 a year, or $2.25 per month.
Where the money goes
The rate increase would generate roughly $6.9 million in new revenue, Business Administrator Leon Wilcox told the board at its Tuesday, May 19 meeting:
- $2.2 million to the General Fund, boosting the employee cost-of-living increase from 1.5% to 2.25%. Without the adjustment, teachers would receive a combined 1.5% raise while the 2025-2026 Consumer Price Index ran at 2.8%.
- $210,000 to hire a manufacturing teacher and an engineering teacher at the Canyons Innovation Center.
- $4.5 million shifted from debt service to capital revenues. The money would still pay general-obligation bond debt now, but the relabeling positions the district to fund renovations at 13 elementary schools more than 50 years old once that debt is retired, without a future tax increase.
Wilcox noted at the Tuesday, June 16 board meeting that starting pay for licensed personnel has risen from $50,000 in 2019-2020 to $65,825 for the coming year, a 31.7% increase over seven years. The total 2026-2027 district budget is $610 million, with 89% going to salaries and benefits.
The Draper connection
The Canyons Innovation Center will occupy the 36-acre, 215,000-square-foot former eBay campus in Draper. The Board of Education approved up to $50 million in lease-revenue bonds to purchase the property in October 2024. Board Member Amanda Oaks said at the Tuesday, June 16 meeting that "as demand for the Innovation Center increases, the Board and Administration should be prepared to make sure access is provided to as many students as possible."
Context: last year's hearing
At the district's Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 Truth-in-Taxation hearing, the board adopted a rate of 0.005656, generating $6.6 million in additional revenue and raising taxes $69.60 per year on a $740,000 home. Ten residents spoke during public comment.
"We don't want to raise taxes, but we are at that point where something has to give," Board President Amber Shill said at that August 2025 hearing, citing state funding cuts.
How to participate
The hearing begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 in the Canyons Board of Education Chambers, 9361 S. 300 East, Sandy. Three options:
- In person: Sign up at least 15 minutes before 6 p.m. Each speaker gets two minutes.
- Zoom: Register at the district's Zoom link on its website.
- Email: Send comments to [email protected]. Include your name and address; 450-word limit. Comments will be read aloud and entered into the official record.
The hearing will be broadcast live on CSDtv, the district's livestream channel. Homeowners on fixed incomes may qualify for one of seven state relief programs; the application deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 1. Property owners who believe their home is overvalued may appeal to the Salt Lake County Board of Equalization by Tuesday, Sept. 15.
