001Our meeting of the district office located 9361 South. First item on the agenda is study session and item A the 2026 legislative Evans director of external relations and Susan Edwards public engagement. You just get me tonight. Charlie is still up there. We had massive committee hearings this afternoon just multiple committees. So we've had earbuds in we've had people in different places. We've all been on quue today. Um and he's still down there for that. Um just want to update you a little bit. First of all, thanks to everyone who attended last Friday for USBA day. I think it was a positive and a productive day. Um and hopefully everybody was was pleased with it. Um It was it was a good day for some good discussion. JLC is always interesting because um it often times
002alerts us to things that may be flying low or not on our radar and it lets us know other people's opinions sometimes surprising us, right? Sometimes we're like, "Oh, okay. I didn't, you know, we may have an opinion that we don't understand the other." So, it's always a good time to hear the discussion. Um I appreciated our board in particular um standing up when they kind of minimized the conversation and on. We want to go ahead and have this conversation so that you are hearing from everybody. And I think that was a valid a valid point to make in that group is to say, you know, we appreciate trying to keep meetings concise and but we need to hear at least enough that we know what position we're taking and why. And I thought that
003was very valid for all of you. Um, a few things just out of committee minutes ago, HB170, the school board referendum bill passed out of committee unanimously. Um, I will tell you what um a couple of things on that. This is the one we've managed to kill the last two years. Um this year it looks like it's pretty greased to go and um I talked to our legislators. Um they may or may not vote for it on the floor, but uh I think there's a lot of pressure to vote on it. But what we did get inserted this year, we worked very hard on this, is that you have to have if if you have if you have five votes from your board on anything, then they can't refer them, >> right? So that is
004in there and that is the way it's going through. Um so that um should hopefully help a little bit and that um if it does go all the way through, I don't know what we can do with it, but if it does go all the way through um I think at least that's in there. So then you guys can your votes. Um the other thing that was scheduled to be heard today and is not is the bill on turf. I don't know if you've heard that. This is another one of those bills we so frequently get where there's one incident anywhere in the state and we all get a legis legislated to and this is one of those. It's saying anytime we add turf at a school, we have to hold a public meeting first
005of all and secondly give notice to a surrounding community. >> Yes. >> Is that when we're replacing turf or turf for a first time. >> It's anything. >> And so, um, >> it does what turf does, it does give off heat. And so, what happened is Salt Lake City School District were building Highland High. They were taking an elementary they closed and moving some of their sports programs to this elementary. So they tal >> only if they're close to homes >> is a public hearing for everything though I you when you're laying turf, you have to hold a public hearing. That's um that was scheduled to be in committee today. It was pulled from the agenda. Um I'll leave it at that for now and then we'll keep tracking it and working on it. Um
006I know you all received an email with some concern at the same time we did. One of the concerns from one of our staff was HB1, which is the school funding uh bill, the base budget bill. By the time that email came in and any concerns were expressed, it was already passed and signed by the governor. There's nothing we can do on that. So, um, base budget bills tend to run very quickly in the first part of the session and there was really nothing we can do on that. The other concern from that, um, we'll talk about in just a minute. Uh, but the base budget one, I I know specifically um, Holly mentioned that she would work on that and it's done and signed. Right. Right. um concurrent enrollment we've been working very hard
007on huge kudos um to our team to Senator Colmore uh to Yushi who's been meeting with us every step of the way Angie Stallings and to Rick for his work on this um I actually think we've come to a place I I think I can say in this meeting where we will probably do a pilot program is on a track to um change kind of how this works within their system but it will be likely later than what we need. Um so they are um probably going to allow us to do a pilot and um allow us to work with all the schools within a geographic region and we'll be able to do that very quickly. Um everybody's kind of on notice because Senator Colmore says um let's have theou signed before I decide to
008not run the bill which would accomplish the same thing. So we will see but I do think we are making progress. would you say, superintendent, on on the that um bill? >> I just comment to you real quick. I think um regardless of where other districts stand on this, we're really going to be about personalizing learning for students and meeting them where they're at. This is something we've been working on for three or four years that it it really, you know, back in the day when this came about, it was for geographical reasons. But now where we're at in education and really supporting choice and allowing students to, you know, follow the path that fits their needs the best, especially considering what we're doing at Innovation Center. Um, that's going to open us up to
009other universities and opportunities for concurrent enrollment and different pathways. So I I think it's super exciting. I I don't know quite honestly JLC may vote against it. I I think my superintendent friends are upholding it. So whatever what's best for our students should >> So real quick I'm interested in understanding why they would oppose it. And the other thing is I think that's a really important argument in all of this is an equity argument. I I mean I know Granite School District feels the same way of only being allowed to have access to Salt Lake Community. At least one of their board members has shared that with me. I I think it's inherently unfair that all of these other school districts have access to universities with research centers and other things attached to that. Whereas,
010you know, although Salt Lake Community absolutely serves an important function, when we're talking about being able to get to a place where we're doing some of these things at the innovation center, we need to be able to have access to that. So, >> and we've taken the direction from the board and the superintendent very seriously and worked very hard on this and and again, kudos to Senator Colmore working closely with us on this. Um, I think um it's kind of a if you're happy kind of where you're at for the other if you're happy where you at and then we are know saying hey we want to change here uh there's a potential that they'll take and use that as leverage to be happier where they're at but not really worry about canyons not being
011happy so we're working it out kind of for ourselves but in a bill form we may be standing a little bit on our own on this >> and and it's not anything you know against Salt Lake Community College we have a great we have a great partnership with them we will continue to have a great partnership with them but it just to your point Amanda really just opens up opportunities for our students that, you know, maybe they they wouldn't have. And I think, you know, when you think about all the things that the legislaturator's done with open enrollment, fits all scholarship, >> I mean, why shouldn't, you know, universities compete for that those same services and our students just like we have to compete with everyone else? So, >> anyway, so I'm excited. I appreciate
012Susan's work on it because it's been a lot of work. But just on the positive side of that, I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> On the positive side of that, I do think before the end of the session, if I'm reading the tea leaves right, as of today, I think you'll see something productive coming. >> And then I just wanted to clarify because I those those daily updates, which I love. One of several said Reed is working on right first refusal >> and and I was thinking property, but it's really the UN that it's writer Anyway, so I just if anyone else confused by that >> um let's see uh Katie Hall's this became a big topic on Friday at JLC is Katie Hall's um bill on USBA mortorium. We've been working with Tom speaking points
013into it. Um some legislators that are very friendly to us don't think we're going to be able to stop that one. We'll try to get it someplace that we can live with it. Um and we'll see there's never say never until March 6th, right? But um but I do understand she has been working on it for a very long time and she does has gained some support in it. Um it is a tricky one because the more we internally as principles or athletic directors or even us speak, the worse the more it makes people want to vote for the bill. So it's really parents they need to hear from. There was a a parent survey as the board as you guys heard last Friday that was sent out last year. May or may not have
014been misleading. I never saw it. Um but it was sent out and the answers over 8,000 answers came back that the parents want more flexibility in their schedules and um so we'll see there there's different pieces we're working on and with Tom's help um and we appreciate that Tom um trying to at least get that someplace we can live with that. >> Can I just comment on that? So just from my perspective, I I think an unintended consequence being a former athlete, coach, and parent of athletes. On the surface, this looks, you know, oh, hey, more time with families. And I think that we should always support that and be mindful of that. But the other side to this coin is is that we know how challenging and difficult club sports already are, and it's
015money, it's big business, it's time. And so now we're saying more moratorium. But if we really believe all that time is going to be, you know, with mom and dad on a vacation, it's not. I mean, if you're if you're a high level athlete and that is the case, this becomes the rule. I'm not going to be with mom and dad on vacation. I'm going to find a club that I can spend. I'm going to go to a gym. I'm going to go with people that may or may not be background check. May or may not be good coaches, but are going to take my money so that I can get the work that and the coaching that I want. >> That's I think it willity that >> I don't know that they're fully recognizing.
016>> Yeah. I mean, some some will have access and yeah, the have and have nots. I just >> I I hope everybody that's thinking about this is really considering what what this could mean. Um, you know, I think having guard rails where it's our coaches that are certified that, you know, we have more oversight on is much better situation. But >> and it was amended in committee to add that they could be more flexible. >> That language was super vague. I mean to me I'm just frustrated with it because we have an organization that runs sports and they could easily make these changes without being a law and then once it's in law we're stuck with that >> and and I don't know if Tom wants to say anything about this but um apparently it
017used to be how kind of how UHSA operated and it wasn't enforceable. >> Well we used to have a lot more and became a big cattle fest. Everybody was trying to catch other people practicing or playing games during the mortorium or they'd have the dads take them to the games instead of the coaches because then it wasn't against the rules. So it became everybody trying to skirt the rule. So the uh said hey it's just like fine like no more. We're not going to keep holding these mortorium hearings. You guys just figure it out and you know figure it out locally and now they want the moratoriums back. But that's just going to turn back into >> the bill. doesn't have the answer to how you enforce it anymore. >> That's just going to turn
018into dads taking baseball teams to mosquite during mortorium because that's when the baseball tournaments out. >> Say something. >> So, I have previously received complaints from parents about moratorum issues and feeling like they can't spend time as families even over the summer together. and when they approach coaches or principles about it, they come back and say to them, "Well, we're only held to this or I mean, so there's part of me that thinks this could have been maybe better handled on the district level." Like maybe if we did a better job of listening to parent concerns on that, like maybe it wouldn't have found its way to where it is. You know what I'm saying? So, I think it's something that we need to kind of consider. I don't know if we put it in
019policy, but we as a district kind of address to get parents come forward with that concern or I don't know. >> So much with personality based some coaches are much more reasonable. Yeah. Go take you'll be fine. Take the week off. Go with your family. Oh no, you take the week with your family. You know, likely somebody's going to take your spot, >> right? >> It really is very and it's hard to legislate. Well, I thought, didn't UHSAA already adopt a second week in the summer? >> No, >> that was part of the conversation and this is what happened instead. >> Oh, >> because I think that two weeks instead of just one week in the summer, having two weeks in the summer, it would solve a lot of problems. >> Yeah, in favor three.
020>> We need to go to eight. >> We used to get the whole summer. >> Imagine that. >> Anyway, >> so um so we're working that one. Then we've got a slew of others um for uh Paula looking at SB 168 both positives and negatives and trying to see there. Um Sebastian has some concerns about school lunch amendments and we're working on an appointment with Senator Esamia for that. Uh the HB267 I know JLC opposed. We have that now going to interim study which was public uh employee compensation amendments. That's now going to interim study. um the school design bill. We had been told, Lexi had told us earlier today that um if we would come up with a repository for designs that he would hold the bill, but it's in committee tomorrow. So, we'll
021see if it's in committee tomorrow or if it gets held. Um and then there's a whole slew. I would encourage you all to look at the House Education um agenda for tomorrow afternoon at 3:40 if you need kicks and giggles. Maybe the worst agendas I've ever seen for a meeting of just virtually every bill we oppose. So you've got civic heads modification, social health and public education. I want to talk to that one just a minute. USB um heard this bill. It's from Ken Ivory and and I just can't describe to you when I'm listening. Bill Brook was with me. I got up and I walked into the room because I was like, "Huh?" And it was on this new this vendor social curriculum. this bill. So, it's basically Brian for the for the kudos
022and fun of this. It's basically seal under a different name coming back under Ken Ivory's name. So, look at that one. That one's fun. Um, and it may be great, may not be, just the irony of the presenter was astronomical. I believe it's actually um from um Haramman High School and what they implemented after they had a rash of suicides. And there may be some great pieces to it. It was just the irony of the presenter. Bill number >> that one is HB317. School materials amendments. Gretchen's favorite bill is HB197. It's in that committee tomorrow. Um digital skills uh from Tusher, school design amendments, substitute teaching requirements and public school attendance bill from Filillmore. So that's a we're going to have some entertainment or something tomorrow. You'll see us crawling in a hole by tomorrow
023night. Those are all in committee tomorrow afternoon. We'll do our best. And then um and then Filillmore has uh his two bills 62 and 65 which we're working feverously on. I just don't know what we're achieving. You you do remember and you do know I think all of you that the education committees are very much set up to pass anything out but even if people oppose them they're set up very much to pass things out. And so we can't always react to what comes out of committee but we can work on it in and around that. And uh and like JLC said, we're trying not to oppose every bill and trying to find the positives. It's a little dang hard this year. >> Um so a question the one the bill that was about having
024partisan local school boards. Where's that at? >> I had a I had a constituent ask me about it today. >> Yeah. Brooke, do you remember where that is? It is. I want to say it was in it was coming up in committee. >> House Bill 26 is in committee. House government ops committee right now. >> Government ops. >> Has it been scheduled on an agenda yet? I don't think it had been. >> I don't see it on yet. >> It just barely came out of rules. Um it was in rules up until I think this morning. >> So it's going to which committee again? >> Government. Okay. So just a quick comment on that bill. Um after last not this JLC but the last I went up and spoke with leadership just for a minute
025with USBA and USSA. I think in my opinion the greatest argument we have is that through statute and rule that we have worked and worked and worked to build a culture of neutrality in our schools. that we're not there to take a political position. We're there for teaching and learning and and we, you know, we shouldn't get into whatever our our position is. I said, I for the life of me to make our school boards partisan, what leverage then do we have as a district to say to any teacher any any longer, you can't >> you can't take a position? >> That's right. I said, "You put an R or a D in front of a school board's name on a ballot, then as a superintendent, I I said, I I don't feel like I
026have any leverage at that point to say, well, hey, uh, teachers, you know, you're required to be neutral, but now school boards, you know, are going to fight it out over political agendas." I I I think I mean we this is this is just unbelievable that we've got to this place where you know it and we've seen what it's done to our state school board. >> It's funny because the bill they have is to take it back >> back >> and I'm going that doesn't they counteract each other. So what's not good for the state board is fine for us. And I say this out of due respect, but it it's I mean I think it's been an absolute train wreck >> ever since we went partisan with our state board. >> It would tear
027local neighborhoods apart. >> It would absolutely put so much more division in our communities and I can't even imagine trying to hire history teachers. >> Good luck. >> Right. >> The other the other problem >> just the pressure on all of you. I mean, >> and the other problem about it is there's there's quite a few, but another thing is is we're elected to represent everyone in our district, >> and if all of a sudden you have a D or R by your name, what's going to happen is constituents who are of that political leaning are going to go to whatever board member is of that political leaning. So it actually it totally dissembles that whole system, >> you know, and so and that's huge because right now, you know, people in your district feel
028like you represent all of them as you should, >> but you know, it it totally circumvents that as well. And then also if you end up having to do caucuses, um, >> which our state board has done, >> which Yes. And then if we're doing that and you know you have an incumbent, you you basically I mean the chances are especially like for example in the district I live in the chances are that there's going to be quite a few of the same political party running. So, I actually think it just takes away parent choice because I think it's a lot harder to to, you know, be an incumbent and so, you know, it's almost like, you know, it takes away >> the larger issue, too. And I >> because you won't get past primaries.
029Do you know what I mean? >> My biggest concern is that whatever letter is next to your name, >> if you give them an answer they don't want, who are they going to go to? They're going to go to somebody in the party or the caucus. So, pretty soon you have caucuses that are making decisions for things that you should understand on a local level close to your neighborhood and that is very very dangerous because then you're you're ruling by ideology rather than local circumstances. So anyway, you can talk strongly about it and I don't think most parents have any idea but when this person was talking to me about it today he was like oh my gosh can you please send information out of that that people need to know. >> Yeah. So, >>
030well, and you'll just end up a lot of times with just one person after primaries because if if they're the same political party, so you don't have as a race either. >> Any other questions for me? >> Any other bills or questions? >> Thank you all for Thank you so much. >> Thank you for fighting the good fight up there. It's not easy. Now we're going to go on to item B and that is the annual review of school policies policy and that will be by Leon Wilcox business administrator. >> Thank you President Shill. Many of you know I have two teenage boys at home. So I constantly try to teach them life lessons and I tell them Sam and Zach there are two words open up many many doors for you. Have any of
031your parents told you those two words? Push and pull. That was good. >> So, let me just tell you what this agenda item is. Under a state board rule, we're are required to review our policy once each year. So, that's what this is here. And then the next agenda item will actually take on the fee schedule itself. But this is just focused on the policy. So, you can see uh you can see uh Just a little backdrop, you know, the legislaturator's really been messing with fees, those of you who've been around the last two to three years. So, we took some time and didn't update our policy because we knew it was going to constantly change until last spring. You you may remember that. We changed it. Uh so we adopted it last May and
032to combine with the state board rule and all the law changes and the state board also do updated their fee policy both our own or docs there in December. So, I think they've gotten school fees a little bit out of the system, out of their system, and really there's a couple minor bills up there that we'll go over on the next agenda item, but for the most part, they seem to have settled on a path forward with school fees that, you know, we have set our policy on uh moving forward. So, just a couple things in the in our policy. Again, it's out there on board. So, you have to have two opportunities for public comment on the proposed fee schedule for the following year. We always do that. You have to adopt it by
033our policy is now it still says April one. The state has changed it to June one to maybe match up with match up more with the budget cycle. So, we will probably look at updating our policy to match that the next go around. have to have a maximum fee for an aggregate and per activity. You also have to have a spend plan. So if you look under our fee schedule, you know, we have those bubbles where we say we're going to look on the and we'll tell you what we're going to spend the fees on. Seems to worked well for the last this probably six, seventh year using that type of a fee schedule. Well, uh the last one there is a is new starting next year that we'll need to know and that is
034starting there we have to have a what we call a fee a free fee path to graduation meaning a student can go to middle school or high school and not pay any fees and still graduate okay now that doesn't mean you have to make every class free but there are certain classes you have to so that student can go on a path there and so Mom and Mindy have worked very well with their principles and their counselors to to get pass at each school. We're going to have a couple what we call districtwide pass, if you will, where they a student can go and not pay any fees if they if they choose. Now, it's going to limit their options, but that path will exist. Okay. Uh, next is on the fee waver. So, you
035charge a fee, you have to be able to wave it. Uh so any fee is subject to waiverss. You also have to make sure no student is denied an opportunity to participate in a class or activity. You know I think our principles have always done you know they've always looked out for kids and I often wonder why that was always a concern but uh maybe it's not other districts but our principles always want our kids to participate. There has to be at least one person at the admin level. school does that. Most of them don't most of them do that at least one assigned to specialize in fee waivers and you can't of course treat any student on a waiver differently than other students and you have to have a way to equalize fees across
036the district. So no school bears an unfair burden of those. That's what we do here. We just cut out a check to every school based out of our general fund based on the number of feers. Last year we paid about 685,000 then fund school fees and fundraisers. So oops going wrong donations. Last slide here. Uh so if a donation is a fee if a student or parent is required to take the class or participate in the activity. So it's a fee. It's not a donation if you're requiring it to happen. Okay. We just need to make sure that's across our schools. You know, schools can solicit donations, but they miss only state they're voluntary. Try to direct all those through the foundation. And you know, this is one thing that we grapple with a little
037bit here in the district is we don't want to be careful about we want donations, but we want to be careful that it doesn't create an inequity for schools. That's when a little bit as well. So overall that is the policy. So USB does come back and wants to know we did review this. We will send them agenda in the minutes of this right here. So that is there any questions? >> Questions Mrs. with the and maybe it was in the other presentation with the the fee free um path but now there's the bill that we could potentially charge a fee for science but is it only certain science classes or they would have to be able to >> yeah we'll get to that next >> maybe maybe I'd see it there that's where >>
038thank you Mr. Now we are going to go on to item C and that is the 2026 2027 fee schedule. This is a first reading and Mr. Wilcox will present this to us. >> So So these are our So this would be our first reading for next year's fee schedule. So I want to give special appreciation to Danny and Tom. They've done the both of the work. working with principles on this. Uh please jump in comments questions as we go through. Just want to give you a brief update. This was talked about you know we talked about this with some of our legislators on the hill on Friday. So uh this is one that you always puzzle why why this happens. Okay. So back on I'm going to start with the second bullet there. So
039in the 2024 legislature sess legislative session, they set aside 35 million out of the stabilization fund to fund to help offset school fees on a onetime basis. And they would distribute that 50% this year, 30% next year, 20% in 28. You can see the lower amounts there to get that 35. Well, anyway, back in the uh EAC on December 9th when they put out their recommendation, they pulled all that money back. Um, and so they changed that to catalyst centers. I think the rumor is they feel like schools or districts will not use this to offset fees, which is not the case for us. I don't know where that rumor is coming from or what districts are getting that well for centers because we're applying to their grants and building one ourselves, but uh they
040shouldn't do it off that. So, the problem is back in September, they gave us and all the school districts a portion of that 17 million. So, we got 923,000 in September to offset our school fees for this year that we can no longer charge for the registration. And so and then we put out about 640 that to the middle and high schools. Uh then we set aside the rest to distribute next year and the year after. Our goal was to give each each of the next three years to spend about each spend about just over 600,000 each of the next three years to get us by. That was our goal with this one time here. Okay. And so anyway, if this recommendation goes through, we'll have to return that money. Now, we won't go take
041it back from the schools. I think the state will just reduce our money money's coming forward, but that's not good to do. Uh there was a proposition in public ed. I don't know if that's going to go through or not. We've heard, you know, a couple of our representatives all said that they were pushing for that. appreciate. So we hope that does. I seriously doubt we will get the money for next year and the year after 553. So basically another 920,000 for the next two years I don't think that hopefully we keep what we got. So that is part of the problem with that structure there. And so as we looked at, you know, this is just more of a a conversation, this slide here, of issues that we having no longer having that registration
042fee to cover various costs schoolwide. So, uh, Tom, Danny, Tom and Danny sat down and did analysis with the principles and there was four three big areas, one smaller one where we used these fees in the past. The first one is the credit card processing fee. You know, we run about $5.5 million about $5.5 million worth of fees. That equals out about almost $200,000 pay about 3 3.5 to process fees as you do with all that. So that's about 200,000. Also, so many of our uh sports and our our groups, you know, practice, rehearse on Saturday. So, that requires us to have a custodian there, whether it's wrestling, basketball, theater. And so, it's the cost is about $60,000 districtwide to have, you know, a custo assistant custodian there during this Saturday time when we're practicing.
043The other one is third bullet is our assistant coaches who cannot be covered by the school's gate seats. So let me just give you the example here. You know football why like football you know roughly some of our schools have 120 kids play football that plays >> 180 some 180. We pay seven coaches. We pay the head coach and six assistant coaches from the district funds. The rest, you know, obviously for that many kids, they're going to have to go out and get a few part-time volunteers or and then they pay out of the gate receipts or they would use this registration fee. So, they can we no longer have the registration fee and some of the schools don't get the gate. Some of the schools do get the gate. That's part of the problem.
044Okay. As well. So, uh, basketball is another one. You know, you have four teams, you have 25 boys on the four teams and so you got, you know, three coach, we pay that coach and three assistants, but that's not enough. So, they get more. Uh, so track's a big one. Sometimes we'll have 150 kids on the track team. We only pay head coach and then I think was it three assistants, two two assistants on that. So all these add up. If you look at that districtwide, you get about $200,000. Now some of them that doesn't not offset the gate, but that's the total cost there. Again, a couple of our schools just don't have the eight funds to pay for these. The last one there is the small one. Uh that's off the puddle if
045you know what that is. That's the highlight grill. You know, it used to be $5,000 or so per school. Now it's about 25,000. The re has just gone up in cost. The problem is we could probably get another vendor, but huddle has all its cameras already set up in all our gyms and all our stadiums. >> But it's more than just highlight. It's how they I mean it's how universities and high schools break down film. They trade film. The play the players can athletes can all cut their own film in seconds. I mean it's not I it's >> No, it's it's it's >> like a necessity. I mean >> it's well it started with football. Football required it. They used to meet at 7-Eleven and change DVDs and they all went to huddle. That's how
046it kind of started. >> I remember the VHS tapes. >> Yeah. Go that far. >> But it's also it's live streaming. It's how we all live stream to from our stadiums and our channels. So it's just it's be they made themselves indispensable and then they jacked their prices up. >> So there's there's you know the supplies and other things, school fees. I think we've got that covered through our allocations out to these are the three big ones here that we're running going forward. The loss of the registration fee. Uh so here's our tenative proposal for you to look at and we can have more discussions. One is the elementary fees. We're not proposing any changes to that. Now, of course, you cannot charge fees for elementary school. That's proed in law. policy policy except you
047can charge for it after morning or after school activity. We have our orchestra on our band so we can still charge that the same. At middle schools our maximum will still be $500. Uh really no class fees will still remain the same. Uh keep in mind we now have that we have that college and career class was the sixth grade we went to eighth grade. So we're going to actually have a gap here there but uh that's not required. So again to have that required fee path charging a fee for that. Same with digital literacy and that's a required class we have charging that we think we can offset that support our middle schools enough with that. So that really no charge change to middle schools. Uh here as we get into the high school
048high schools collect 90% of our fees. So, here's what we're proposing. Uh, we'll still keep the maximum at $6,000. We changed that last year. Most student has reached out this so far. Usually, you have to be in cosmetology. We have one or two who get there, but they're in cosmetology at CE. All class fees will still remain at the $35. We are proposing to increase the parking permit. I'm sure the best because I'm going to have a 16-year-old driving next year, but uh from 10 to $20 I think it was when I went to high school and it's been a few minutes. I think it was $5 and so that changed in the last time. So that would generate roughly six 700 students drive each day or we sell that many permits. that would give
049that you know6 to7,000 additional revenue for that that we we use that to clean up minor repairs and the graffiti that sometimes gets up there. Okay. And then here's what we're also proposing is a $10 participation fee across all athletic and performing groups. uh you know roughly 50% participate of our students participate in these of course you have students who do three or four of course right and a few who don't do any but uh that would generate again it'd be a wide range it could go up to 10,000 but it could go up at 18 it could go into the low 20s now just depending on the school there that we think would cover that would cover that60,00 that we spend in the custodial overtime. So that would solve that issue. And one of
050the things that Tom has talked about is we have a differential where on our athletic on our uh you know we pay assistant coaches so much to help us out. We could look at paying more assistant coaches on this differential but at a lower amount. Now, those who are already set at say $3,000, we'll keep them at $3,000. We won't change them. But as that coach leaves and we have quite a high turnover, these are usually parents or parents who come in and help us. Maybe we look at paying $2,000, pay two more and add another coach to that if that makes sense. More paying not receiving as much, but we're adding more coaches to that. That makes sense that way. Uh so that's what we're again head coaches we would not touch it would
051just be the assistance go just a question on maybe for you too Tom on the overtime so we've had the issue with weekends right there's always tournaments and things going on on Saturdays does this put us in a position to cover that so we're not supplanning and >> okay so custodians aren't trading from Friday or Saturday to Monday and >> and that was part of the issue with our custodians. They you know the past we tried to trade time with them and they didn't like that they wanted Monday through Friday then get paid for over time on Saturday and that does make sense because then nobody's doing their routes on Friday as well Wednesday when they're doing that day. So that's yeah. So Rick, that's >> that's awesome. That the challenge there too, like just
052so everyone understands the issue. Um it'll really be helpful is to while we were trying to trade time that made sense, but on a lot of occasions those princ or the custodians would trade the time, but then their regular cleaning duties and routes would it would disrupted. So then the teachers or whoever would be upset that, hey, how come my room, you know, didn't get clean like it normally does, it's because they traded the time. So this way that helps that and solves that problem. So I think everyone will be happy with that. That's good. Awesome. >> Questions for Are we okay with this proposal moving forward? >> It should be said that, you know, to cover inflation, we'll probably have to look at participation fees, regular increases, you know, this dollar going forward. Maybe
053not every year, but go ahead. >> Yeah. So, I appreciate that you said that because I, if we remember last time, uh, I was a little prickly about this. Um, because I think people can absorb small increases with inflation. It's when >> when we try to to hold the line and then do the massive increases that we think are the are the really hard hits for people. Um, so I think everyone gets that there's inflation and increased costs and so I appreciate um the not major slap in the face. >> Thank you. >> Uh so that's all the traditional high schools that way. Uh going to come back to that just to hit on the C tech again. high schools one fee. CEK has their own fee schedule for all their certificates they get. So
054here's I'm not going to go through each one of these, but here's what they're proposing here. Uh I will bring up the biggest one bullet down medical assisting. They are looking at a net increase of about $160 there for uh TA time. He needs they need a TA and with the labs. And so that's the main thing there. Uh next slide, the biggest one would be a new class as diesel, diesel advanced, same fee as the intro. actually have two diesel programs going and also a size increase in the pharmacy tech program. Again, same reason for the TA to support all the lab work there. And then we're also starting a medical scholars uh class where this is through rever state where they get four up to four hours of CE credit there. So brought
055this one to us. We're actually doing it this semester. We are going to absorb the fee for this semester, but going forward we won't be able to do that. So that's the new a new program there. >> Maybe you don't care, but it's $20 instead of five because it's actually early enrollment credit and not C. It's an early college class and not a high school class. We need to label that differently so parents understand that >> it doesn't really matter. >> Doesn't matter. >> Only matters $15 is the only difference. >> Checking. >> Yeah. No, it's a good question. >> So, as I said earlier, they've seemed to settle down on the legislate at the legislature on school fees. One proposal that is out there these two bills and this brought up Katie's point here
056on the science. So, uh, House Bill 121, it hasn't really moved. It was proposed and hasn't gone anywhere, but, uh, you can now start to charge a fee. If it goes through, you could charge a fee for site. Uh, to keep that no fee path, we probably whether or not we charge a fee at all with the C. But if we did, it would just be on chemistry. That's the most expensive one. Qualified biology. An old science teacher. He can comment on that. But we would keep physics or science uh >> classes. >> So you can still have that core still keep that path going there for those but you still can't charge again for the core and we really haven't charged in the past for ELA health math or something or social. We'll see
057if that one goes through. The other one, this one came out at the very end of last year's session and I can't remember how JLC voted on this one. This is a fee waiver for a second trip. So, under the the proposal is, you know, students, if you're on waiver, you can go on a trip. Well, they were founding several students on waivers going on multiple trips, whereas kids above just above the waiver line were not being able to go. So they said okay you can go on this first trip but the second one you have to have an agreement with the uh principal where they do certain things whether it's custodial work tutoring something along that line they call it an action plan. So that this one has passed out of committee. I'll see
058where it goes. I can't I don't Do you remember how the JLC voted on that? I seem like they supported it. we did when it came up and I think if we discuss it again which we haven't >> but I think they would still support it. This came, like I say, this came out the last weeks again. It's not >> last week of the session last year and then it didn't really get any legs. >> That's so we'll watch those twoward. >> Here's where you find all the fee schedules. Won't go over all those. Uh, but last there's our proposed next steps would be update the fee schedules based on this proposal. In the past, we've always sent them out to parents for their feedback. Jeff has helped us out with that. We proposed to
059do that. We should have those updated, ready to go later this week by a parent square. Uh we can bring then we could come back have a second reading on the 17th from that feedback and then solicit more feedback if you want. We usually done that two out uh and then we could do a third and final rating either on the March 13 or I know at the next agenda item we'll about the other. >> That's our proposal. I I going back we I think we can get through another couple years, but this you know this credit card processing one and uh the assistant coaches now we can look at the differential there and see what we can maneuver in that area. But also that credit card fee processing one Yeah, as a district, we've
060always absorbed those credit card fees. So, it's pretty common at other districts to pass it on to payer. >> We can go do some more research. We haven't yet. >> Well, it's becoming more and more I, you know, you go to the mechanic or whatnot. More and more places are charging that fee if you're wanting to use your credit card. So, >> Lisber charges it. I was surprised. >> Lumpersburg. Huh. That's what I hear. This is absolutely >> Well, yeah, that that was my question is if it's legal to pass that on to the parents except the Okay. >> Well, they don't none of them have to pay. They can still come pay in the office with cash or check and >> but Jordan district charged me and I always paid with a card on
061mine just because I didn't want to go into the office and I didn't have any checks. >> Mr. Our fee system has that built in for some portion of it. Maybe it's school lunches, maybe it's something else because I have to do a to avoid the fee. >> School like we already do that with some things. >> So now we can propol. Do you want to talk about that for a second? You want to propose that or what about the >> I don't see how we have any other choice. I mean, this is it's like >> it's not going away. >> Do we want to start cutting programs because we're wanting to absorb credit card fees? I mean, I don't think that that makes sense. We've already pulled so many things back that parents have
062to pay that. I think when people understand we're not for profit, like I don't think we're in the business of absorbing credit card fees. >> Well, it's a convenience fee. It is a reality. If you can come in and take pay the school and not have to pay that, >> what give us Can you give us some examples of like what what what would that show up? When a parent's paying what? >> Well, so right now, but and you can pay this at the school too with a credit card. So you walk into the office, hey, I need to pay for my daughter's. This is going to be extreme example. I'm paying for the cheer trip to Orlando. We run that credit card swipe for $2,000 and we actually only get um 1940. Credit card
063company took 60. Well, the trip cost $2,000. So that other $60 has to come from somewhere. >> So we're we're we're just finding >> Yeah, they usually just >> finding it within the program, you know, >> they bill us for all the fees once a month basically. So they have to pay for it out of their registration. to have 30 girls coming to pay for that. >> That's a lot of money we're finding, you know, in the budget to just fill that those holes and it becomes very difficult to balance which programs have had a higher cost based on fees versus others. It's just kind of all in the budget dust. So, >> Mr. >> So, is the AC processing free? >> No, we pay 3.39% for AC. 3.74 for regular credit cards. So, it's
064a little cheaper a but we do have an RFP out right now where we're looking at different credit card processors try to get that a little cheaper but that's where we're at right now. >> So, here's my thought. If if the only way to pay is a fee and and don't tell me you can come into the school with a check. That's not that's not a way to pay. That's it's not 1990. >> Uh >> before two o'clock. >> Yeah. Touche and it might bounce. So, nothing makes me more angry as a person than getting nickel and dimed on things. Like, just tell me how much you want me to pay and I'll pay it. Don't tell me it's this much >> and then say, "But you you were required to pay this extra. Just
065tell me how much you want." >> Yeah. >> Uh and so, however it is, I I just want to know how much I have to pay. I don't want to know how much I have to pay and then a credit card fee because it's not a convenience, right? It's a convenience if we could have two options and one's free, but you just said that's not that's not how it is in life. Um, and yeah, going to the school with a check, that's that's not even a >> fee. Well, and that's not guaranteed money. >> The check back in 1990, the parking fee was changed. >> I still have checks. >> I keep rarely. We could >> well we we actually have one high school that doesn't take credit cards because of this and >> they
066get bad checks and >> I was going to say it causes more cost >> from business accounts >> when it's the kids that bring the checks like the parents don't come in they send the check with their kid or they >> cash with their kid I mean and it's not >> it's not the greatest option but it's $200,000 that the the problem I feel the exact same way as you do Andrew the problem keeping all the accounting of of all those transactions and which programs should pay for which fees that were paid on a card. It just with them being so exacting with with us trying to keep track of every kid and how much every kid paid and how much they have in their account, what was used for uniforms, what was used for
067officials and supplies and to figure the credit card fees into that also it just it's it's next impossible. >> So I guess what I'm saying is that if this is really the only path I mean card fees need to just stay as a as an expense that the district pays if that's the cost of doing business. Uh and and that is unfortunate, but I would rather not like piss off all the parents to save $200,000 over the whole district's budget. I missed. >> So, as we get into the budgeting cycle, we'll just need to keep that >> in mind as well. You know, that's a cost we're going to have to start absorbing forward. >> I can say something to that point because I agree with you. Isn't >> it different places? One of the
068complaints I get every year from parents is that sign a kid up for a class. Usually it's a performing arts class or something or athletics because it's the ones that have more fees, right, that are allowed, but they start out thinking that they're supposed to pay something and then they're informed that there's something else and then they're informed that there's something else and then you'll get an email saying there's this paper and it's infuriating after a while. You're like, just tell me up front. I don't know if there's any way to better streamline that. I think rep track honestly is pretty slick. Like when I go in and I register my kid and I can see it all clearly laid out. It's when something falls outside of that. >> That's what we need to know.
069Okay. >> If it's not on that fee schedule, they cannot charge it. >> We tell our schools that all the time. So we need >> know we need specific things. >> Okay. >> Now maybe they now some lots of schools set up installment plans like that so they're paying parts over the year or something. If it's simply if it's not on the fee schedule, that's part of our policy, part of the law, they can't charge it. So, >> well, sometimes it's a sorry, it's lack of communication with the office. Like, let's say you're buying a spirit pack is $200 and you forgot to tell the office secretary to put it on Rev track because she has to put it on there, >> right? >> If they don't, then the kids are bringing the check to
070the office, then it looks like one more thing and they should have put it on Rev track to begin with. >> Still within the >> bounds. They just didn't forgot to >> I think that that's the Yeah. I mean, and I've had parents say, "I'm not unwilling to pay it. It's just it's the executive functioning of having to go back to it." And >> and and the guidance we give them is to have all of the expenses outlined on a disclosure from day one and we can work on making sure they're compliant with that. >> This is um so as far as looking at this this credit card fee $40,000. I mean, is this mostly is our largest expense or coming from class fees or is our largest expense coming from athletics other outside fees
071>> the travels? >> I mean, so is it a way that we could at least ask groups to add that buffer in? I mean, if we're if it's the $2,000 expenses and it's not the $35 class fees, >> I can only speak to Brighton in the time I was principal there. I 95% of every penny I collected was on a credit card. It wasn't one thing or another. It was everything. So, it's hard to say it's this or that. It's just the cost of doing business. And it's it and it was easier to to to absorb it all when we had a registration fee. We just pull it out of the registration fees is for all students, all families. It's just a common benefit. We don't have a common benefit fee anymore. So, now we
072got to figure out how to cover that common benefit we used to have. And I don't have a good answer. I mean because it's so it sounds like then if it's cl on the class fee side we could bump fees up to accommodate the 3.9%. But on the trip side then we need to be asking teams that they have to accommodate that in their pricing >> to cover those those costs. >> How many trips they take >> or more than we've done. >> Yeah. Their price can only be in the 1940. >> Right. Right. that you have to accommodate the 3.9% credit card fee that we have to pay on top of that trip that you can't be at your max trip amount. >> So, is there any other questions? So, what I'm hearing is
073we will make the changes, send it out to parents, but we will at we'll just do the $10 group soon sporting events we will look at on the trips I think that's a good thing we ought to look and make sure tell hey cost has to be 1940 but >> we need to because $60 needs to go to the fee if you're going to pay that >> yes pay >> and then >> I think I'm still paying for something my kids And is there anything? So we'll look at that one change as well. >> Do that internally here and then next year we could maybe that would be that help a lot next year then with the 28 year we look at maybe contining to build it in somehow raising the class$10. Again the legis
074legislature probably not going to with that one time I think for the 27 28. >> Any other questions on that? >> Thank you. >> Okay, the next item on the agenda is just the meeting schedule which um there is a copy of it in your folder for. So, so the next two months are kind of different. So, normally our board meetings, so I'm talking about March and April. Normally board meetings are the first and third week of the month. And I'm wondering if this is how this happened. Me, Andrew, and Amanda >> are going to be out of town when we have meetings scheduled for the 24th. And the reason we have it the 24th is because the 17th is caucus night. >> That is why. >> Yeah. So, that's why we pushed it back.
075>> But And also I was talking to Katie's also going to be on. So there's four board members who are going to be on. I could join on Zoom, but this is the other thing I started thinking about. We have these um two public hearings and that's the next board meeting when we can all be together to discuss and I think it's really important we're probably all together in person. So what I'm wondering is if we can move that meeting that's supposed to be on March 24th to the 31st. So, it's a week later. >> It's also a Tuesday. >> It's a Tuesday night. And it's not spring break yet. Spring break's the following week. So, is that okay with everyone? >> Yes. >> Nice. Okay. Great. Okay. So, Cindy, can you make that change
076on the website on our calendars? Um, >> there's only one because of spring break, maybe. >> Yes. And then there's spring break. And then that's why there's only the 21st. >> Yeah. >> Well, and that's why you definitely want to meet because >> Yeah. And it's almost better because we're a little bit later. >> Yeah, it is. >> It's like three weeks. >> I like that better. >> And there's only one in May. I think there's two. Never mind. Turn it over. >> Well, the other thing is this. Let's just be thinking about this. The 21st is teacher of the year. >> Is that right? >> April. of April. >> So, I don't know. I don't want to add an extra board meeting right now, but I don't we I mean, we may feel like
077we need to. I don't know. >> Or else we may delay our decision about proposals because we're only going to have >> 90 days. >> We're really only going to have March 3rd, 31st, one in April, only study in April, and then that May 5th. Anyway, let's leave this for now, though. And then >> should we need we'll have to see maybe >> we need >> it's just it's really weird. It's just the way the calendars. So okay well thank you board. That is great. We'll just make that change. Please put that up. Well you know Cindy never changed our calendar invite. >> So if you go look >> it says the 23rd. >> It does. So she never took it off. >> So um yeah, so it's still on your calendar. She'll just delete
078this. >> Okay. Well, thank you for that is all um study session and meeting. Thank you everyone. Have a little break. I know. Okay. Okay. Welcome to the business meeting of the Canyons Board of Education. Today is February 3rd, 2026, and we're meeting at the district office located at 9361 South 300 East in Sandy, Utah. Um the first item on the agenda is to approve the agenda for tonight. So I will now take a motion to do that. >> I move the we approve the agenda as listed. >> Okay. Thank you. We have a motion. Is there a second to that? >> I'll second it. >> Okay. Thank you. Is there any discussion to the motion to approve the agenda? Okay. Seeing none, I'll call for a vote. All in favor say I. >> I.
079Any opposed? Okay, that motion passes unanimously. The next item on the agenda is the pledge of allegiance and that will be given by Butler Elementary principal um Tracy Stacy. And then we will hear some school highlights. Oh, this is a busy evening. Um please rise and join me for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Good evening. My name is Tracy Stacy. I'm the principal of Butler Elementary School and this has been a Lone Peak reunion because I was there before. So, hi Lone Peak families. Um I'm here to present about loan uh Butler Elementary School. Um Butler Elementary School is currently 601 students strong. We are an
080incredible community with strong parent support. Our amazing staff is always willing to jump in and learn new strategies to impact students. This year we have focused on creating our mission statement and core beliefs as a staff. Our collective statement is at Butler Elementary, we believe in learning together, meeting high expectations, valuing every voice, inspiring excitement, fostering creativity, kindness, growth, and celebrating community success. We are also primary primarily focused on designing lessons which allow students to have productive struggle. In relation to this, great growth is happening as evidenced by our fourth and fifth grade students acadens testing scores for reading. Fifth grade scores increased by 8% from the beginning of the year and fourth by 4%. Both grades scored in the mi in the mid 80% range for their composite score. This is due to the
081fact that teachers are strategically planning lessons which challenge the students to do the reading, writing, and thinking. Butler Elementary has also extended the hours of our BTSA visual arts teacher, Marcy Ambrose, through our TSSA funds. She has been using these hours for art integrations with classroom teachers. Marcy and the teachers plan together and co-e lessons with grade level content to help students better understand or extend content. Our teachers and students love it. Today, I had the opportunity to ask students what made our school amazing. This is what they said. A first grader told me, "All of my friends A fifth grader said, "All of it is amazing. I especially like that I don't get lost in the school like I did today at middle school." Another fifth grader told me the teachers. And a second
082grader told me, "Math, science, reading, boosters." I'd also like to personally thank um thank the board for um getting elementary principles, assistant principles this year. Um it has been a lifecher for me. Um, this addition has made life as a principal livable. Um, I appreciate all you do for our schools. Thank you very much. >> Okay. Thank you, principal um, Stacy and thank you so much for what you do um, for students and for the community and um, we really appreciate you as a board and please pass on our thanks to your staff from us. Thank you. Okay, the next item on the agenda is the Canyon Strong employee recognitions and Jeff Haney, director and Christian Stewart, associate director of communications will be presenting us. Thank you, President Schill, for this time to recognize the
083ways in Canyon School District that we can all learn more, do more, and be more. And we are canyon strong through and through, especially when it comes to our employees. But you know, it's almost time for the Olympics. And can't we all remember sports broadcaster Jimmy Kay Declare for the worldwide of sports about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat? Well, in the days leading up to the gold medals and that worldclass performances here in Canyon School District, we are celebrating victories once again. We will say more about this when we celebrate students at the next recognitions, but you know, we couldn't let time pass without counting another state championship gold medal finish for Canyon's district students. Another state championship comes back to Canyon School District. Congratulations to the Corner Canyon Cheer Squad
084for returning to the top of 6A and competitive cheer. They're back at the top of the podium. As many people will say in the coming weeks while we're watching the Olympics. Three out of the past four years, Corner Canyon has won the state title in competitive cheer. And this year, they captured that title again. Now, I know that we celebrated their coach at the last recognitions, but it's official. You can see the photographs right there of when cheer coach Whitney Lunt was announced as the 6A Utah coach of the year. So, congratulations to Coach Lunt and her team. They are headed to Florida to compete for the national championships. They've won it before. We hope that they can bring it back to Canyon School District one more time. One of the things that I did
085not add and we'll celebrate it the next time we honor students and recognitions is that in today's New York Times, if you have a chance to go take a look at it, you'll see the Corner Canyon Cherels are featured as the dance group in Utah. that is featured in the New York Times for the military precision category that is unique to Utah drill. If you haven't seen it, please go take a look online. They have videos of the Charels. They have great photos. I've provided printed off copies of that story to all members of the board in the future. We will uh show photographs of when the Charels were in the New York Times. Also, congratulations to the Charels for finishing fourth at the 6A state drill championship on Saturday. Canyon's district was well represented.
086We had three teams advanced to the final rounds of judging. The Charels, Hillrest Drill, and the Bright Acadians. Hillrest Drill also won fourth in the military category in 5A. Congratulations to the coaches and the girls on those teams. They did a phenomenal job. Our next Canyon Strong recognition goes to Chanse Lauren. Chansancy is a program administrator in the student wellness services department here in Canyons. Recently, the district received an exemplary status on a recent youth and care review and audit by the Utah State Board of Education. This is the highest standard a district can receive on the audit. So, congratulations to student wellness services, but thanks especially to Chanse for spearheading our audit. Now our exemplary status is largely due to Chancy's efforts. The state board has the responsibility of evaluating the youth and care
087programs through regular site monitoring visits. And the goal of the program monitoring is to identify quality indicators and educational outcomes for each school district and their programs and to determine areas of strength, need, and or opportunity for technical support. So great job and thanks to Chanse for doing the heavy lifting and leading the effort here in Canyons. This is just one more way that we show up for Canyon students. We are Canyon strong for our students, all students, especially those who need just a little bit of help to do big things. Thank you, Chansy, for all you did in our youth and care program. Our next honore is the Butler Middle Band and Orchestra teacher Enrique Tez. Now I say that because I was reminded that his students call him Enri Mr. Slay Tez. Now
088he was named to a very prestigious list that was just released. He was named to Yamaha's 40 under 40 recognition list for upand cominging rockstar music teachers. Yamaha launched the 40 under 40 music education advocacy program in 2021 to celebrate and recognize outstanding young music educators who are making a difference and growing and strengthening their music programs. The 40 educators who are all under 40 showcase the following characteristics: action, courage, creativity, and growth. Those are definitely ways that you can describe the Butler Middle program under Mr. Slees. So, congratulations, Enrique. We are so glad you are Canyon Strong and part of the Canyon Strong team. Arts education is thriving and has a special place in Canyon School District. A big congratulations to Lone Peak's Cassie Walker. She's one of the BTS teachers in Canyon's district.
089She is now a national board certified teacher. This is one of the most respected professional certifications available in education and provides numerous benefits to teachers and in turn our students. Ala is Karina Zapata who teaches world languages. Well, she also learned, excuse me, her national board certification and she went back and reertified which can be equally as difficult. They will be honored during the legislative session on February 17th, but we wanted to congratulate them and say they are truly canyon strong for earning these certifications. And also, school counselors amplify student success. And that's the theme for this year's National School Counseling Week. And we've seen this that success firsthand here in the Canyon School District. Now, according to the latest school health and riskrevention survey, the work are of our more than 70 school counselors
090are doing well, it has a significant impact on our students. There's been a marketked decline in depression, anxiety, suicide ideiation, as well as a decline in alcohol use and vaping. We've seen increased graduation rates, better attendance rates, and students seeing an increase in the value of their own education, and finding a place to belong in Canyon's district schools. We think this is in large part to the good work of our counselors who work day in and day out to help our students. Now, this week may only be five days, but we're grateful for the hard work and the dedication of our counselors every day of the school year. Congratulations to our counselors who are honored this week, and we want to thank them for the good work that they do, not just during National School
091Counseling Week, but every day. Our employees definitely are Canyon Strong, and they certainly have strong opinions about the Super Bowl. It's become an annual tradition for us to record a Super Bowl ccentric connect canyons podcast. Dr. Robbins leads this uh very sports talkheavy conversation. You you would have thought that you would have turned into AM sports talk radio. When you have heard Dr. Robbins and some of our football coaches, you can see corner canyon coach Casey Suter, Jordan High's great coach, coach a Mark Albertson who's sitting right there. And then we also invited former University of Utah stand out Cal Beck who's a first grade teacher at Provian Park to join in a conversation about the upcoming Super Bowl predictions on who's going to win and why. And also we invited to have on the
092line Silver Celiga, a former NFL player who played for both Seattle and the Patriots. And he had a lot to say about who he thinks is going to win. I don't think we'll tell you who Dr. Robin says is going to win. We're going to make you listen to that podcast. It'll be on the on the website tomorrow. Yes. Yes. He he he said the Raiders are going to win. Yeah, that's what he said. Yeah. But we also wanted to mention, like we've said that the Olympics are coming up. Oh, before I move on, there's another thing I wanted to mention. A big thanks to our nutrition services department. Please go to our Facebook and Instagram social media pages. Our nutrition services department every day this week is giving tips on how to make healthy
093and tasty snacks for the Super Bowl. They've provided a recipe a day. So, please go there if you're looking for things to make at your upcoming Super Bowl party. Our nutrition services department, they don't just create fantastic lunches and breakfasts for our students every day. They're giving the community tips on how to be prepared for the Super Bowl party. So, go and take a look at all the things that they are providing to us. These tasty and healthy snack recipes every day this week. And also, the Winter Olympics starts this week and Willow Canyon was a fire with the Olympic spirit late last week. They kicked off their literacy assembly. Three Winter Olympians visited the school to help them kick off this reading goal initiative. They hope to read more than Mrs. Patterson, help me
094out here. 1,800 minutes or hours. Do you remember? I think it's minutes. Minutes. More than 1,800 minutes in the week of February. Uh, when they're not watching the Olympics, they're supposed to be reading their books. And if they read more than 1,800 minutes, then the principal, Hi Nelson, well, she says she will kiss a pig in front of the school. So read, read, read because I want to see Miss Nelson do that. Now, she also got to wear those Olympic medals of Shannon Barky, Faith Enen, and Tristan Gale who came to talk to our students about the importance of learning to read and how just like learning how to be an Olympian, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you practice reading every day, then you're good at it. And that's what they encourage the
095students to do. You can also see there that we have a teacher, Maggie Johnston, at Crescent Elementary School. She was singled out for a donation from the Granite Credit Union during a visit from by Fox 13 last week to Crescent Elementary School. They were picked as the cool school of the week. And all morning, every 20 minutes, there was a featured segment on an activity, event, or a learning opportunity at Crescent. You can see there that Miss Johnston is standing there with her gardening club. The credit union gave her $250 to buy more things to promote that indoor gardening club there at Crescent Elementary School. They did a fantastic job. I'm sure that she's received some nominations for teacher of the year. If not, then maybe her students should hop online, submit those nominations on
096Friday. That'll be the last day that our community can nominate their teachers for the 2026 award for teacher of the year. We'll be giving that award out on the April 21st at Union Middle School. So far, get this, we've had 5,000 nominations for Canyon's teachers this year. By Friday, it should be a record on the number of nominations that our students and parents are turning in for our rockstar teachers. Yes, indeed. Canyons teachers rock. President Schill, thank you so much for this time to celebrate the ways that we are Canyon strong employees in Canyon School District. We turn the time back to you. >> Okay. Thank you. We have now come to the patron comment portion of our meeting. The board often designates time in meetings to listen to the patrons of the district. Patron
097comment time is limited to residents and taxpayers of Canyon's district, students and parents of students and current employees of the district. Patrons may provide board members with written documents and these documents ma must be submitted to the board secretary at the meeting or emailed to the office of public communications by noon of the day following the board meeting. Tonight, individuals will be given two minutes and those representing groups will be given four minutes. Comments made during patron comments are part of the public record. It is the board's practice to listen and take notes during patron comments. The board of education does not discuss matters that are not on the meeting's agenda, nor engage in public comment on individual students to protect their privacy or employee issues. If a patron wants to comment on a district
098employees character, professional competence, or mental or physical health, the board requests that those comments be submitted to the board in writing. However, if the patron determines to verbally comment on those personal issues, the comments need to be civil and refrain from personal attacks, insults, defamatory, or slanderous comments about an individual. The board of education values input on all sides of issues. To maintain decorum and respect, we ask that those in attendance refrain from applause or other types of demonstrations during the patron comment time as well as throughout the meeting. Okay. So, tonight um we will start with Sarah Caldwell and then the next person will be Shandra Lee. And there there are seats up here if you guys in the back want to I mean there's one here, there's one there, there's two up here
099just so you don't have to stand the whole time. And we will you can leave whenever you want. You don't have to stay the whole time if you're up here in the front. >> Okay. Good evening, President Sha, members of the board, Superintendent Robbins, and members of the district leadership team. My name is Sarah Caldwell and I'm the proud proud to serve as the assistant principal at Alter Elementary. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I'm here on behalf of elementary principles across Canyon School District and CESP to express our sincere gratitude for your decision to place assistant principles in our schools and to share the impact this decision is already having on principles, staff, students, and families. For many years, elementary principles have carried an impossible scope of responsibility. They are instructional leaders,
100special education administrators, disciplinarians, crisis managers, parent liaison, evaluators, supervisors, and building manager managers all at once. While the work is meaningful, the reality is that doing it alone was not sustainable. Your decision to add assistant principles has changed that reality. Here are only a few examples of how this has impacted our school communities throughout Canyon School District. First, assistant principles have made it possible to meet the demands of the day logistically and humanely. Previously, elementary principles had to attend six to seven PLC's a week, IEPs, and 504s, sometimes multiple in a day. Along with meetings for office staff, custodial teams, recess aids, and intervention programs. As sole administrators, principles were often forced to choose between being present for families, supporting students, or f fulfilling compliance requirements, which are all of equal importance. With assistant principles,
101schools can now divide and conquer. Meetings are scheduled more efficiently. Parents who walk in requesting support are seen in a timely manner. Families attending IPS and 504s are no longer asked to work around one person's impossible calendar. The result is better service to families and far less disruption to learning. Second, assistant principles have dramatically improved student support. Elementary schools are filled with students who need help navigating conflict, emotions, and behavior. Previously, principles had to triage, deciding which students would receive support and which would have to wait. That delay often left teachers without help and students without guidance. Now with two administrators, support is timely, proactive, and collaborative. Students are helped in the moment. Conflicts are resolved more quickly. Teachers feel supported, and importantly, principles no longer feel like they are failing their communities simply because
102they cannot be everywhere at once. Third, instructional leadership has improved in meaningful ways. In the past, some principles were responsible for as many as 70 evaluations a year. That workload left little time for reflection, coaching, or growth oriented feedback. With assistant principles sharing evaluations and walkthroughs, administrators can now engage in real instructional conversations with teachers. Principles are spending more time in classrooms. Evaluations are happening earlier and more thoughtfully. PLC presence has increased. This work will have a lasting impact on teaching and learning across the district. Fourth, schools are building stronger systems. With shared leadership comes the capacity to focus on systems that matter. Principles report improvements in transitions, positive behavior supports, tier three data collection, SST communication, and lunch and recess supervision. Instead of constantly reacting, schools are now front-loading expectations, pre-correcting behaviors, and building
103consistency, resulting in fewer problems overall. Fifth, and perhaps most importantly, and I promise this is the last one, this decision is directly impacting principal retention and well-being. Several principles have shared very honestly that before assistant principles were added, they did not believe they could continue in the role. The mental and emotional load was too heavy. The job had become unsustainable. Having a partner, someone to reflect with, problem solve alongside, and share the weight of decisions has been transformative. principles feel less overwhelmed, more caught up, and more hopeful. One principle. Sorry, I'll finish. Is it okay if I finish? >> Okay. >> Is it one sentence? >> Really? >> Yes. One sentence. >> Okay. Um, where would Okay. Okay. One principal said, "Having an MP AP is a gamecher. I could keep doing this job for
104years and I did not feel that way before." That statement alone speaks volumes. In closing, your decision to place assistant principles in elementary school was not just an operational improvement. It was a statement of trust, respect, and commitment to sustainable leadership. The impact already evident and it will continue to grow over time. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Okay. Chandra Lee and then Jackie Ball. And please correct um me if I said your name incorrectly. >> Yeah, it's Chanda. It's exactly how it's uh spelled. Um my name is Chanda Lee. I'm a parent at Lone Peak. Um, I have a third grader, a first grader, and a daughter in kindergarten who is very disappointed that most of her classmates are not joining her in Chinese next year due to the email that we have received.
105Um, I've looked into a lot of numbers and it seems like there is a huge interest to keep Chinese. We have 46 that applied for Lone Peak and that is not including those in um in Draper Elementary who put Lone Peak as their second option. Uh, because Lone Peak or Draper was full. There was 66 applicants. They initially just accepted 50, so there's 16 just on the wait list over there. Lone Peak is a five-minute drive, and I'm sure a lot of families uh would join in just to make that 25 if it makes you happy. Um, as you can see, we have strong support from the school. Am I allowed to get a raise of hand of Lone Peak parents? Many of those parents have children in kindergarten. Many of those are living within
106minutes of the school or just a walk. They moved to that neighborhood for Chinese and are disappointed that their children can no longer attend. Other schools might not care, but not Lone Peak, we care. Um, I have also heard from many parents who have kids that went to Indian Hills that they had one Chinese teacher that taught two grades and it was not effective. Parents were angry and I know many other parents that middle schoolers are going to Indian Hills um have decided to go to Draper Park instead because the problem has not been corrected well enough for them to feel confident. Out of all the grades that need a two class system, it is first graders. First graders need to have all that extra support from their classmates. The larger the group that they
107have, they are so good at learning Chinese. They are amazing at it. Parents can have creative solutions to fix this. I know that it might seem hard that we don't have a lot of students right now because it's an older neighborhood, but next year you are planning on closing down a school and possibly moving them to Lone Peak and we welcome them there so that they can help us. We are just asking for one more year so that we can solve this problem. Thank you. >> Okay, thank you Jackie Ball. Then Kim WAC. >> Hi. Uh my name is Jackie Ball. I'm also a parent at Lone Peak. Um, I honestly don't have a dog in this fight with the dual language immersion. Uh, because my kids are, my youngest is in third grade. He'll
108be going to middle school, but I can tell you and I can verify what Chandas just said. Um, we are one of those families that chose to go to Draper out of our district. I won't have a bus. I have to drive my child every morning. I purposely am putting uh my kids in there because the Indian Hills middle um dual immersion program was not functioning well and I didn't want my kids to be disadvantaged from that. Um, also in our in our district, you do have a lot of parents who are very involved at our school um, and Lone Peak. And I feel really disappointed for them that there are quite a few parents that I know personally whose kids wanted to go um, to Lone Peak for the Chinese immersion but could not
109get in. I don't think it's a lack of numbers. Um, Chanda did not raise this point, but I do know that we have the SALTA program with far fewer applicants, and I'm wondering why we're aortioning funds there instead of the very popular Lone Peak, you know, um, dual immersion program. I I realize that there are budgetary cuts that are mandated by the legislature, but I personally don't think that this is the the appropriate um way to cut funds. Um, again, public schools are facing a lot of national pressure. Um, you have a lot of parents who are opting out of the public school system, and to be quite frank, I would have been one of them if it not for the Chinese immersion program. It's one of the things that makes Canyon School District competitive.
110Um, and so I think that that you're doing yourself a disservice if you uh cut that program even further. If my child were going into first grade now, I would transfer them out of Lone Peak to be honest and go to a school that actually provides the services that they need. My son's thrived um in that program. He's someone who needs that extra stimulation and so I would just um you know advocate that that program not be combined. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Kim WAC. Then Janie Linkl Owens. >> Hi. Thanks for letting me speak. My name is Kimberly Wulmarmac. I am a consistent voter, a Sandy resident, a registered nurse, and a doctoral candidate completing my dissertation focused on caring science. So, the two previous speakers gave us a lot of numbers. I
111want to focus on the human- centered aspect of this. Because most importantly, I'm the parent of a third grade student in the dual language immersion program at Lone Peak Elementary. I do understand the reality of budgets and I understand enrollment is declining in some areas. But what concerns me is how quickly major decisions are being made based on numbers that may not fully reflect realities or future enrollment shifts, especially when boundarying changes are still ahead. The DLI program at Lone Peak is incredibly popular, highly successful, and strongly supported by our families. My Child's Classroom is a place of stability, connection, and trust made possible by dedicated, highly skilled teachers. many of who are here with us today um who are deeply committed to our students in our community. Right now, these proposed changes are creating
112fear and uncertainty among teachers. I worry that many of our best educators will leave for more stable employment. When that happens, children don't just lose a program, they lose continuity, trusted relationships, and a sense of safety in their learning environment. Ongoing instability, especially when driven by incomplete data, skewed perspectives, and inconsistent communication, undermines academic progress, language development, and long-term student engagement. I respectfully ask that you consider human- centered alternatives such as delaying these proposed DI cuts until boundary changes take effect and enrollment can be more accurately assessed. This isn't just about funding models. It's about ensuring decisions are thoughtful, measured, and truly supportive of our public school students, teachers, and communities. Thank you for listening and thoughtfully considering my concerns. >> Okay. Thank you. Um Janie, and then Jenny Wong. >> I'm here tonight to
113support Lone Peak Elementary, the school, teachers, students, and the Chinese immersion program. These decisions impact our whole school, not just this incoming first grade class. I'm here because I have concerns and unanswered questions about the outcome for our Lone Peak family. My biggest concern centers around teacher stability and the overall program quality. We know how critical consistency is for both students and educators, especially in a DI program where relationships, trust, and long-term planning matter so much. I'm still questioning why this change needs to happen now before the boundary changes take place. If boundaries are already expected to shift, why are programs changing? Sorry, why are you making program changes first rather than waiting for the evaluate the full picture? It feels premature and disruptive. I'm also struggling to understand why we are not problem solving
114the issues that even the district has acknowledged. Instead, it feels like those challenges are being transferred from one neighborhood classroom onto the Chinese immersion classroom. That does not solve a problem. It's just relocating it. It seems that the student growth and student needs are being placed behind another consider all other considerations. Our students academic progress and emotional well-being must come first. I have serious concerns for our DI teachers. How are they to collaborate with grade level planning when one teacher is responsible for two grades? And finally, we must ensure our teachers receive the green card support that's available as stated in the email that I received from the director of instructoral support. I'm asking for time to see what enrollment enrollment numbers look like after boundary changes. With limited lottery openings, we could lose families.
115I'm also asking for real solutions to address larger class size, student and peer conflicts and flexibility concerns rather than relocating these issues. We need transparency and solutions that truly support teachers and students. Thanks. >> Thank you. Okay, our next um person is Jenny Wong and then Alexandra Larson. >> Okay. I'm also here for Lone Peak Elementary changes um specifically reducing the program to one first grade class, increasing class size from 27 to 32 and having one teacher cover two grades level with a total of 64 students. For a planning standpoint, this change does not seems to align with the district's own enroll um enrollment outlook. The district has shared that boundary changes planned for 2027 and 2028. Um expecting to bring more student to Long Peak if enrollment is the project to grow. Cutting the
116program now with a possibility of expanding it again later creates a necessary disruption. This back and forth approach affects students, teachers, and the long-term strength of the program. Class size is another major concern. As we all know, smaller class size in early elementary grades leads to better learning outcome. Fewer behavior issue and stronger teachers to students relationship. First grade is a critical year for building reading skills, language development, and social emotional growth. Increasing class size, this is only going to make things much more difficult. I'm also concerned with the physical of the classroom space before change having this change proposal. I would like to ask if any um of the individual had came uh had come to look at the out the actual classroom layout of Lone Peak within 32 grades 32 first grade student.
117It becomes very difficult to create open space movement and flexibility and we know that kids need movement. movement increase focus engagement while long periods of sitting only cause fatigue and not able to learn. Thank you. The next person is Alexandra and then Kate Hume. Good evening um president, board members, superintendent, and staff. My name is Alexander Larson and I'm also a parent at Lone Peak Elementary. I'm one of the families that moved into this neighborhood to be walking distance from Lone Peak for the Chinese program and for Lone Peak's prestigious reputation. We absolutely love Principal Deil, the teachers and this community. And our kindergartenner, who is the oldest of my three children, is already showing boredom in her classroom. She thrives on challenge. She thrives on rigor and engagement. And that's what we were counting
118on in the DLI program. But she wasn't placed in that for first grade. The January 20th data that was composed that wasn't proactively shared or promoted to parents shows the reduction with the numbers that have already been shared by many others that have spoken tonight. It didn't leave any room for new families like mine. The lottery results were then sent out 3 days later without any prior parent noticed input or alternatives that were discussed. And this lack of transparency has truly left us feeling unheard and unvalued. Additionally, this decision does feel short-sighted given the boundary studies that have also been mentioned. One of your meetings today that had an agenda posted online had the topic access and opportunity and it was presented by director Paula Logan. It focused on equitable access to resources and supports
119for multilingual and advanced learners. I fully support this, but reducing the Chinese DI at Lone Peak directly interferes with that. And this high demand program attracts and retains families. It sustains enrollment. 41 of 47 in our grade preferred it. So without that, we face transferring to a private school or a charter school and that's something that I desperately want to avoid. I would love to ask you guys to please clarify this decision process and why parents weren't involved at all. Revisit the cohort sizes or pilot flexible support groups. Align with the access and opportunity by preserving the access to the vital multilingual pathway and let parents come to the table with creative options. There's many of us that are here to support this and you have a lot from us. So, thank you so much.
120Strengthening this program is what will sustain the school in the future and support our community. I appreciate all you guys do. >> Okay. Thank you. Now, it's Kate and then Audrey Hanks. >> Thank you for listening to us today. Um, I am also a Lone Peak parent. I'm in a similar situation to Alexandra. My oldest is a kindergartener at Lone Peak and he has an unbelievable amount of school spirit for a little kindergartener. Um, and I'm in a position where I think that a class of 32 either in English speaking or um in a dual language immersion program will drive me away from Peak. Um, and so I'm hoping that we can figure out with the boundaries and with other creative solutions what this might look like. Um, I I won't be staying under these
121circumstances. Um, and that makes me really sad. Again, I was someone that have heard I've heard nothing but good things about Lone Peak. The administration is phenomenal. The teachers are phenomenal. Um, it's such a great program. And yes, my student is way down on that weight list. And there's no way he's getting into that immersion program. And I wouldn't even know if I wanted him in it with 32 of them. Um, I did notice on the Canyons District website, it says, "All DIA classrooms are capped at 28 students." Um, so I just want to echo a lot of what has already been said and add that we are willing to come up with creative solutions. We are willing to work with you. We're grateful for your service to our community. And if the problem is
122that there's not enough interest in an English class, we'll figure out a way to um combine that and um combine them for the English speaking portion of the day. Maybe have a part-time teacher for that. I think there's solutions we can come up with for this year in the middle with our incoming first grade class before we get an influx of students as we're hoping. Um so yes, just hoping for more discussion about what this could look like, how we can make this work. I'd really like to stay. Um, I want to support our public schools. I plan to be an involved parent at Lone Peak and thank you for listening. >> Okay, thank you. Now we have Audrey and then Diaonda Vez. >> Hello. Um, my name is Audrey Hanks and I have children
123at Lone Peak Elementary. Um I am um I am one of the big things I love about Lone Peak is is the DLI program and um it makes it so that I I really do not want to move away from where we're at. We're in a little bit of a um precarious situation with our family where we may be moving and I'm doing everything I can right now to stay. But I worry a lot with um the direction this is heading. And and even though there's a lot um being said about the support that we're trying to keep it instead of cancing it. I worry with a program that stops admitting students to it at a certain point and then you just have attrition after that that if we start with one classroom, what will
124that look like for my children by the time we're further down in the process? Um and if the program isn't there, I have it is much harder to stay where we're at right now than it would be for us to leave. But I'm fighting to stay because of this program. And I I wonder what research has maybe been done um at what attrition might look like, not for the DLI program, but for those who would choose a different option and take their um students out of the district um to a different option if we're looking at enrollment problems um issues. I know why those issues exist across the district outside of the DLI program, but I wonder what might happen with those enrollment numbers if our DLI programs shrink and then maybe go away. Um
125I wonder what the repercussions are and if we're taking that into account in this decision- making. Anyway, um I'm ex I'm grateful for what you are doing to try to keep it here, but I I wonder if we can try to look a little bit more at this and have some um longer term discussion and looking at solutions before we make um a decision about this. Thank you. >> Okay, thank you. Um now we have Diaonda and then um PJ Manion. Dear members of the board, as a resident of Sandy and a teacher at Parkland Elementary, I want to reference a statement shared on September 2nd, 2025, which states, "There's not a whole lot of difference between a 70 FCI and a 90 FCI. They both need a lot of work. Park Lane's FCI is
12669.66 and Willow Canyons is 56.79. Both buildings need updates. While Willow Canyon may have slightly newer renovations, the difference alone does not justify relocating an entire school community, improved facilities do not automatically translate to stronger educational outcomes. My primary concern with plan B is that it proposes relocating a school with a higher enrollment and greater long-term stability into a building with declining enrollment. Based on the district's data, merging Park Lane with Willow Canyon would leave a significant area of Sandy without a local elementary school, which is not equitable to families in those communities. Another serious concern is special education placement. Parkland currently serves students through an ACC program. Relocating that program would place it within about a mile of another ACC program at Glacier Hills Elementary. As a special education teacher, I really feel like
127the districtwide plans for special education need to be considered in this long range planning process or we look to repeat consequences of our past. If transportation is not a major concern, then fairness requires that moving Willow Canyon students to Park Lane also be considered. That option deserves equal evaluation. It would be more responsible to fully assess the outcomes of plan A before advancing additional proposals, particularly during a period of enrollment shifts already occurring across the district. I want to thank the board members who supported reconsidering plan B. Thank you Mr. Edel, Mr. Lewis, and Miss Nibbar, Mrs. Nyar for taking an analytical approach for the criteria surrounding this matter. I love Canyon School District. Thank you for your time. >> Okay, thank you. Now we have PJ Manion, then Alli West. >> Good evening, board
128members. I'm here tonight because I care deeply about our schools and because I believe the strongest decisions come from processes that families can trust and understand. Thank you for the time and care you are putting into a very complex issue. I respect the responsibility you carry to serve all students across the district. I want to begin by clarifying something respectfully. There has been discussion suggesting families like mine are primarily are primarily concerned about children riding buses. I want to be clear this is not about buses. This is about fairness, transparency and decision supported by consistent and defi defensible data. Along with that I also want to be clear that many of us are not unwilling to negotiate. If data clearly shows closure is necessary and that Parklane is the most appropriate choice based on consistent
129criteria, I could support that decision. But when criteria appear to shift, it becomes difficult for families to trust the outcome. And part of why trust matters so much in this decision relates to the broader feeder system. Park Lane and Willow Canyon are major contributors to the East Mont Jordan pipeline and decisions affecting each of those schools directly influences the long-term stability and growth potential of that feeder system. Looking at the broader picture, it appears the district may be moving towards consolidating four school communities into two. I think it is important to ask whether reducing four schools into two is necessary at this time. While consolidation may address current enrollment numbers, it also risks maximizing capacity and limiting the district's flexibility if enrollment pattern shift. Preserving both the Parkland and Willow Canyon sites maintains growth opportunities,
130supports feeder stability, and allows the district to respond more effectively to future changes. With that in mind, I also want to speak to the current process. A closure notice has been issued for Park Lane, but not Willow Canyon. I understand the desire to avoid pitting communities against each other and I share that value. I respect the and appreciate our neighboring communities, but unequal procedural consideration can unintentionally place families into defensible positions which can make collaborative solutions more difficult. So ultimately, my request is simple. Please ensure both schools receive equal procedural consideration until consistent and transparent data clearly supports one outcome over another. Thanks for your time. >> Okay, thank you. Um, now we have Ally West and then Tristan Ferington. >> Good evening. My name is Ally West and I have a seven-year-old at Lone
131Peak Elementary currently in the the DLI program and a four-year-old who will be eligible in two to three years. Um, I acknowledge that you're facing issues beyond your control with declining enrollment and I genuinely appreciate the effort to keep DLI rather than cutting it entirely. That said, current in current education landscapes give families more choices than ever. Strong magnet programs keep public schools compelling for families, especially those who have no special requirements or constraints keeping them from going elsewhere. DLI keeps families invested in our neighborhood school if it can deliver a quality program. My concern is whether or not this restructured model can succeed. Increased class sizes up to 32 where kids need individual practice and feedback cannot be effective or realistic. The load increase on teachers isn't unheard of as middle and high school
132teachers manage this. But with an age group that is far less far more independent than an a than at an elementary level. Dual language immersion requires more direct instruction and in individual attention. My fear is that reducing classes to one per grade will accelerate the decline of the program and you'll lose DLI students looking for quality programs to challenge their kids. The impact of this decision is far. The more unity that families have in our education choices, the stronger our connections are in our neighborhood communities. By the time I need to make a choice whether or not to apply my four-year-old, will the program at Lone Peak be compelling? And if moving forward with a one class per grade model, what metrics will show that this new model works? What additional support will be offered
133for teachers to ensure its success and keep public schools strong? Thank you. >> Thank you. Now we have Tristan Ferington and then we have just a minute Eric Edwards. >> Good evening. Thank you for your time. It is greatly appreciated. I truly recognize that we are all on the same team when it comes to this boundary study. Over the last six months, we have repeatedly been told that the long range planning committee is gathering data and conducting research to guide these decisions. However, I have yet to see the that data presented to the public. Conversely, parklane advocates have diligently gathered data, done research, and presented findings to this board, unbiased data that consistently supports keeping Parklane open. In December, we were told that a district-wide study would be conducted and a traffic study would be
134completed. What did that data show? If these if those studies exist, they have not been shared with the families most impacted by this decision. If the data showed that Parkland's enrollment, location, or infrastructure truly made it the least viable option, that would be understandable, and you wouldn't be getting nearly as much push back from parents, teachers, and community advocates. I would accept giving up a walkable neighborhood school and putting my kids on a bus if that data existed, made sense, and was transparently shared, but it hasn't been. And the actual data uncovered so far supports the opposite of the board's vote. Two weeks ago, the committee mentioned that Willow Canyon has 27 classrooms and a combined school would occupy 26 classrooms, which includes the three ACC classrooms. Parklane has 26 classrooms, plus two flexible spaces
135that were previously well suited classrooms themselves. By the district's own math, Parklane can house both schools without portables as well. This is not a dying neighborhood. In just the last two weeks, two new families with young children moved into my street, small street alone. Closing Park Lane would create a four-mile educational dead zone, hindering a community whose young population could actually steady as market conditions have become more predictable. I urge the board to base its decision on transparency, accuracy, and accuracy, not unshared data. Thank you. >> Thank you. Now we have Eric Edwards, then Taylor Bhow. >> I live a few blocks away from Park Lane. I have three little kids, the oldest of which will begin school next year. Obviously, the school district needs to make some complex decisions around school closures. Those decisions
136have big consequences and those decisions are not easily reversed and so I don't envy the weight on your shoulders. We are a community and community requires compromise. We know there is no perfect answer. No one is asking for perfection, but we are asking for thoughtfulness and thoroughess and transparency. However, to date, confusion and contradictions seem to have prevailed. These undercurrents are evident when listening to tonight's comments. Until this is corrected, no one will feel will feel settled about compromise. I read the planning committee's January update. It says the combined enrollment for Park Lane and Willow Creek is 580, but the September update suggests capacity is only 511. Seeing that contradiction leaves me confused and worried about the rigor being lended to these decisions. I like the saying, "Clear writing gives poor thinking nowhere to hide."
137I'll say it again. Clear writing gives poor thinking nowhere to hide. This feels more important than ever. I appreciate the written updates and my comment tonight demonstrates that it's serving its purpose, being able to identify the errors and/or misunderstandings that so easily sneak into complex decisions. My hope is that you'll take a step beyond the highle bullet points and include references to the data sources being relied upon and include some narrative about the details and the nuance. Speak to the different criteria and how they're being weighted. Address public comment by restating what you've heard from us and speak to how it is or isn't being addressed. Again, I'm not asking to not have to compromise. I'm asking for sound decision-making. I'm asking to be shown clearly that these are the optimal compromises to make and
138you've not yet done that. >> Okay. Thank you. We now have Taylor and then Samantha Jones. Um, Miss Shill, you have specifically indicated an interest in hearing from the families of young children. So, that's why I'm here. I'm a mom of two kids and one on the way. Um, all of young kids. Um, and I've been I'm here to share my experience. Essentially, I've been following this issue uh fairly closely over the last six months despite yet being a patron of the district because um I see this not as just a school issue but a community issue and I care deeply about my community. My biggest concern is related to what has been discussed tonight that the board can demonstrate clear decision- making and sound datadriven um reasons for closing any school. Um I feel
139like despite many numerous attempts from our community to receive that decision-m um we've we've yet to receive that and that's been frustrating for someone who's not even a member or not even a patron of the district yet. Why Park Lane over another school? That's that's what we're wanting to know. Um, my second and equally prioritized concern is related to the East Mount Jordan feeder system, which the board itself has actually expressed commitment to on numerous occasions in almost every single board meeting. Um, but the proposals of the last six months to me don't reflect um that stated commitment in the slightest. The most recent proposals are the most egregious in my mind because they proposed closing not one but two of the schools in my community with still no plan to strengthen our fleing feeder
140system. I feel deeply concerned by this and if you're going to close both of my community school options and force me essentially to drive my children outside of my community to go to school, then I'm going to consider other options as well because why would I want to put myself in a situation where I find um you know in 5 years or 10 years that I'm experiencing school closure issues once again because of a lack of good long-term planning right now. I um understand that the board is in a difficult position, but public schools are supposed to be a safety net in our communities and you're leaving an entire region of your district completely netless. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Um Samantha Jones and then Henry McConi. >> Good evening. My name is Samantha
141Jones and obviously I'm a Lone Peak parent. Well, not obviously parent, but I'm wearing the sweatshirt. Um, I have a daughter in second grade. She's in the DLI program and she loves it. She lives and breathes Chinese. She wants to talk about it all the time. It's not just the language, it's the culture. She loves learning about something different. Um, want to read or I'll cry. Uh, I also have a preschooler that will hopefully enter the DI program as well as he would love to have that connection with his sister. Um, I graduated in speech language pathology, so I'm looking at these proposed changes through a language development lens as well as a parent lens. Um, I'm concerned that these proposed changes will increase class sizes in dual language immersion classrooms and these changes will
142directly undermine how DI is supposed to work. DI is affected because students need high frequency opportunities to listen and speak and they need timely accurate feedback from a teacher on pronunciation, vocabulary, sentence structure, and comprehension. When a class gets too large, each child gets fewer chances to participate, and the teacher has less ability to hear student language, correct errors, and catch mis misunderstandings early. In DLI, small group instruction isn't a nice to have. It's the core of the model. With larger class sizes, small groups become less frequent and less effective. The room gets louder. The students who are shy, struggling, and still developing foundational language and literacy skills are the first to get less support. We have amazing teachers in this program at Lone Peak and I'm concerned about teacher retention as well with these
143changes. Increasing class sizes and asking teachers to cover more than one grade level creates a workload that isn't sustainable. I don't know if any of you have ever been in a room with more than even 10 first graders, but it can be chaos. That won't help us keep excellent teachers long term. It will overwork them, burn them out, and push them to look elsewhere. And when we lose strong teachers, we lose stability and quality for our students. I'm asking the board to reconsider these changes. keep DLI classes at a level that supports real language instruction, especially when we're making changes and we're not sure how that will change the class or the um rate of students coming into the school. Um thank you. >> Okay, thank you. Um Henry McCunki and then Janette Knight. My
144name's Henry McConi and I'm a second grader at Parklane Elementary. I love being a Parkland Panther and spend lots of my time at the school outside of school hours. My friends and I meet up there to ride bikes, play football, and capture the flag. My friends are all walking distance from the school in my house. We count on having neighborhood school within our community to make friendship and hanging out. I know there are a lot of adults and numbers and graphs here tonight, but I think it's important to hear from kids, too. I ask you to look at the Park Lane value brings the neighborhood outside of just money and dollar signs. Now, please excuse me so I can get ready for bed. Thank you. >> Okay, thank you, Henry. That was awesome. Okay, now
145we have Janette Knight. And then next we have Shannon Herbert. Good evening. My name is Janette Knight and I'm a Parklane community member. I'm here tonight with continued respect for the difficult work that this board does, but also with a concern, a serious concern about a conflict of interest that I believe needs to be put on public record and addressed. On October 24th, 2025, board member Karen Peterson sent an email to fellow board member Andrew Edel explicitly stating, quote, "You know, we are both up for reelection this coming year. A closure of Willow Canyon would make my reelection difficult. I would like an opportunity to serve on the board for another term." Let me share what concerns me. board member Peterson um her email shows that her advocacy for keeping Willow Canyon open was and
146still possibly is influenced by reelection timing rather than being based solely on factual educational considerations. In her own words, she stated that closing Canyon would quote make my reelection difficult. I understand that board members are human and have multiple considerations. However, when a personal political interest um influences the decisions about our children's schools, I have and we all have an obligation to acknowledge it. I believe this creates a conflict of interest that deserves attention. Board members serve all families in the district, not just one school, and decisions of this magnitude should be free from considerations of personal political advantage. I respectfully ask that this board consider whether the situation meets the ethical standards that we hold our public officials to that decisions be made by in our public interest without personal considerations influencing the outcome.
147I respectfully request that this board address this conflict of interest appropriately and I hope that you consider revisiting this decision to ensure it's based purely on what's best for our students and our community. Our families trust this board to make decisions with integrity and I believe you want to honor that trust. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. So, we have Shannon Herbert and then Jared Herbert. >> Hi. Um, I'm a Park Lane parent here to ask you to vote no on closing Park Lane. I keep showing up because Parklane is worth saving, not because I want to be difficult or argumentative. Closing Parklane and Granite would create a huge educational dead zone in East Sandy with no public schools at any level, no elementary schools, no middle schools, no high schools, nothing. How does this
148meet the district's commitment to equitable access to education? This proposal ignores the East Mont Jordan feeder problem. These schools have a long history of excellence and Parklane families, including us, have largely remained loyal to them. But the unbalanced secondary boundaries will only get worse with this proposal. If your goal is to strengthen East and Jordan, why are you closing schools within its boundaries instead of adding students to it? If you're going to close our only neighborhood school and do nothing to strengthen our secondary schools in the process, why should we stay in this district? Bella Vista and Granite are both within the boundaries of secondary schools with strong enrollment. They can absorb closure and consolidation and still have faith in their future in this district. But we feel disadvantaged now on every level. A neighborhood
149elementary you seem determined to close and two secondary schools with the lowest enrollment districtwide and it drops more every year. Stability matters. We don't want our kids ripped from Park Lane next year only to have Eastmon close a few years later. You said at past meetings that we should trust you that you will fix the Eastmon Jordan feeder issue after you close our school. Sadly, trust has become a casualty in this whole process. What assurance can you give us that our community has a secure future in this district? Because what I see here is not equity. Please consider what equity and access should look like in this district before voting in favor of this proposal. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Jared Herbert. And then Jake Garfield. Good evening, members of the board. I want
150to speak tonight about the responsibility this board carries. Not to one school or one neighborhood, but to the long-term stability, integrity, and health of the entire district and the communities it serves. The recommendations before you have been met with strong and sustained opposition from families, educators, and even members of this board because many understand that closing Park Lane does not solve the district's challenges. It accelerates them and spreads their consequences across the entire system. Closing Park Lane and Granite, two neighboring elementary schools, will result in by far the largest geographic area in the district without a public school. That outcome undermines the equity and access and threatens the long-term viability of public education districtwide. Because students will have to go elsewhere, families are already exploring other enrollment options. In many cases, that means private or
151charter schools that are closer and more accessible or neighboring districts that are perceived as more stable. Keeping Park Lane open is not about preserving a school. It's about risk management. It's about maintaining enrollment and protecting access to public education. It is a decision this board can defend, not just tonight, but years from now. This board has the opportunity to show leadership, foresight, and stewardship to demonstrate that your schools, your voice, and your communities are not just a slogan, but a governing principle. Protecting Park Lane protects the district. I urge you to choose the path that keeps this district whole, stable, and strong. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Jay Garfield. I won't speak for my whole community, but personally I'm thrilled to that our school might be joined with Willow Canyon. I think that's going
152to be great. I think it's be a really positive thing. Um and looking forward to it, in fact, and I'm glad that our feeder system will stay intact. However, I have never heard a cogent explanation from any members of the board or from from the district of why the Willow Canyon building is a significantly better building. every rat piece of data we're given is doesn't hold up. Um, when you really look at it, there's a 13 percentage point difference in in the FCI score. That's that's something, but I don't think that's that big of a deal considering that Ridgerest is 54 percentage points worse than Bella Vista and they get to stay open. I don't think it's the capacity. Yes, uh, Little Canyon is a little bit bigger. Uh, they have a little more square
153footage, but as other commenters have mentioned, we have 26 classrooms. That's enough at Park Lane to host the combined schools without needing portables. So, the capacity doesn't appear to be a real thing or a significant factor. The parking lots or both parking lots at both schools um allow for totally separate patron drop off and school bus drop off. So, I don't think the parking is a major issue either. I'm not saying that Willow can the Willow Canyon building doesn't have some small advantages. Um, but I I think all these reasons we've been given the as why the Willow Canyon building is better is small potatoes when you look at the immense damage that you are considering doing to our community, to our neighborhood, to the city of Sandy. Again, I just want to like look
154I just I think this map speaks volumes of just the huge area of our city that will no longer have a public school if you've moved forward. And I I say this with all respect for every member on this board, but I think it's really is driving this is not data, but it really is um the reelection pro prospects of board member Person. And I would ask all of you to look at the simple solution that's always been staring us in the face, which is simply combine our schools at the Park Lane building. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. So, um, that ends our patron comments and I just want to thank everyone for being here, for your comments, and for the respectful manner that you talk to the board. We do appreciate you guys.
155Um, I do think we have the best parents of any district. So, um, I do want to address the Lone Peak parents and, um, we appreciate your commitment to the program. We look forward to connecting with you further. And you should have received a notification inviting you to a parent meeting at Lone Peak tomorrow, Wednesday, February 4th at 4 p.m. And administrators will be on hand to explain the need for the changes and also answer any questions that you have. And we hope you can join us or of course you can always email the board. We we all read every email. So um anyway, so this ends patron comment. Thank you. Uh we'll now go on um to the next items on the agenda and the next item is the consent agenda and I will
156now take a motion and please read each item individually and public please feel free to leave if you need to but you know we love to have a full room here. It's pretty rare. So >> I move to approve the consent agenda. Item A, approval of minutes for January 20th, 2026. Item B, approval of higher intermination reports. Item C, approval of purchasing bids. >> Okay, thank you. We have a motion. Is there a second to that motion? >> I'll second it. >> Okay, thank you. Is there any discussion to the motion? Okay. Um, we will now vote on approving the consent agenda. And all in favor say I. I. >> Any opposed? >> Okay, that motion passes unanimously. The next item on the agenda is the state of the arts report and Dr. Amber Rodrik
157Lanward will be presenting this with um some other people I think. So please introduce who else you have with you. >> Members of the board, we are so excited to be here tonight to update you on the state of the arts in our school district. It has been quite a while in fact since uh we've been here to talk about arts since Sherry Jorgensson, our former art specialist who was with us since the beginning retired. We have had the great opportunity since um Sherry retired. She helped us identify some incredible art specialists to be able to take her place. And with the help of some grants and then the extra focus on the strategic plan, we were able to uh shuffle folks around in our department to be able to truly build an arts team
158um in Sherry's legacy. So we have with us Bradley Moss, who not only serves on the arts team, but also works with induction. As you know, many of the specialists, actually all of the specialists in ISD wear multiple hats. JP Kentro, who you met um in in picture during the AI presentation, is also on the AI team and then serves on our arts team. And then Dr. Mindy Curtis, who uh works with our arts and our ML program. So, I'm going to turn the time over to them because they have a lot of incredible things to tell you. And so, I think it's who's starting? Bradley. Thank you. >> Hello. We are thrilled to be able to share with you a state-of-the-arts report uh for Canyon School District. And in short, the state of the
159arts in Canyon School District is strong. Uh this is a credit to the amazing teachers that we have, the strong programs, the solid support that we get from the community and from schools. We think that the arts are incredibly essential for any student and the programs that we have are providing such tremendous opportunities for them. However, we also feel like there is an opportunity for us to have a greater impact on a greater number of students in the district. And so tonight, we want to celebrate some of the things we're doing and talking about some of the the steps that we have in order to increase uh the impact. We do want to acknowledge that there are continued pressures on arts education and what we want to uh do as a group moving forward and
160things that we have done in working with programs and teachers throughout the district. One thing I do want to mention before we move on uh we'll have kind of two lenses as we look at this arts as a process and a product. The product that is created, the work, the performance, something that is shared with those outside the classroom is really wonderful and there are great products that exist in Canyon School District. But in order to get to those great products, we need a process of development of experimentation, exploration, refinement, frustration, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, all those wonderful things are also happening too. Uh we as an arts team get to see it all the time in the classrooms. uh it sometimes isn't as visible as the product, but in order to have a
161great product, we also need to have a great process. Uh this breaks down the arts and their accessibility throughout the district. Every student in Canyon School District has access to the arts. Uh every elementary school has at least one art form there. Uh all of the middle schools have multiple art forms available for them and the high schools all have programs of all of the art forms uh for students to choose from. These arts um availabilities that they have at schools uh allow students to experiment in lots of different art forms but also really focus in on art forms that will take them through several levels of experience and education and growth. Um in terms of challenges, we want to share with you some data. Uh USB collected statewide data of enrollment in the arts.
162And you can see that every art form uh this is secondary data uh because it is pulled from uh course numbers. Every art form saw a dip uh in 2020 2021 postcoid. Um and most of these art forms have not yet attained where they were in uh pre2020 levels. uh media arts obviously they did not start uh tracking data on that until recently. Uh so that's why we see that growth but uh statewide all of the areas uh in terms of secondary arts have not yet got to those levels. Um we did not avoid that dip in 2020 2021. If we look at our data we can see that that was the low year in our process. If you look at the line that is second to the bottom here, you can see a percentage
163of students at the um schools that are participating in one of the art forms that's listed. Uh if you look at our current year, we are back to those uh pre- dip years in terms of 113%. Um and we have seen growth over the last four years in uh all of our art forms, but we are battling against a statewide trend as we move forward. If you want to see more details, there is a link there that breaks these numbers down. If we look at the middle school numbers, uh we can see that there's a lot more volatility and fluctuation in them. uh they did uh we are almost back to pre- dip years in 121% participation but we can see that that's down from the last couple of years um because there's a lot
164of um change in the courses that are offered at the middle schools because there are shifts in teachers we just see a lot more volatility in the middle school programs and one of the things that we're doing as a team is finding ways to solidify those moving forward uh so that this fluctuation or dips that happen in the middle school do not continue on into the high school in the next couple of years moving forward. >> Hello, I'm Mindy and I work most closely with our elementary schools in the arts. So, I'm going to speak to this slide. um you see at a glance um our BTS arts programs, our arts instructional technician programs, and our CSD elementary orchestra programs and those numbers um at our elementary schools in this slide. And um as as
165Bradley said, all of our elementary schools have arts instruction during the day. Um and this is not to say that these are the only arts programs happening at our schools. So um many of our schools, about 22 at my last count, have a school choir. Um we have um a title one strings program in some of our title one schools. Art haven comes into some of our afterchool programs um and plays. There are plays at our elementary schools and also our elementary schools are working with a professional um organization partnerships in our school programs that are funded legislatively. So um this is just an overview of what we're offering for canyons and noting that our elementary arts program is before and after school. It's a tuition based program that is um supplemented with funds from
166the district. Um and these is the overview of our elementary arts programs. I'm going to move us as well while I'm here into some instructional priorities um instructional initiatives that we've worked on in the last few years. We kind of put a lens of looking from 2022. That's the last time I was standing here presenting to you guys with Sher Jorgensson. So since that time, we've particularly um worked to um expand and make more robust our arts leadership teams for our arts teachers in our district. Um there was a secondary content lead team created um since that time and our BTS leadership team and elementary arts instructional leads team. They used to combine when it was Sherry together with an elementary team and knowing the different needs of those programs and the arts integration um
167elements of the BTS arts most of the time except for one time a year we separate those leads teams out and these teachers are the PLC leads of our teachers. So they're teacher leaders themselves and they meet with us to refer to and talk to about the instructional successes and needs in our schools. And so this really really helps us understand a a good lens of where we need to move forward in instructional supports in the arts. Bradley's going to again talk about vertical alignment. Um for our elective arts teachers, there is always a part of their brain that is always worried about enrollment and numbers and trying to figure out what can I do to make sure that my program remains um vibrant. And one of the things that uh has come not just
168from work that we've done with leads but also the the initiative of the individual teachers is finding ways to create vertical arts communities. More than 70% of secondary programs have made connections with schools within their feeder systems where the teacher or students will go and reach out to those uh students involved in arts programs in other schools. trying to find students who already have experience, who already have an affinity and a connection to an art form to find ways to have them continue along. If we look at what they're doing, um the majority of them, 79% of them work on joint events and performances, making students at all levels feel like they're part of a bigger community. And this is one of the initiatives that they have in promoting arts numbers. Uh what do these
169arts events look like? oftentimes they are performances or workshops that are there. Uh students from from lower levels come and watch performances at the upper levels. Uh there is the instrument petting zoo for in elementary students where they get to put an instrument in their hands and see what that feels like. And so there are a lot of uh teacher and program work to make sure that arts in their school is supported by um strong arts within the vertical community. One of the major initiatives we've been working on since 2022 was to either create or expand our instructional guides for the arts. So, we've had instructional guides on our shelves for um for quite a while in the secondary arts. We've um expanded those and really deepened the content in there and we've created um
170elementary arts guides for visual arts, music, theater, and dance. um rolled out in those timelines. So each of these the new things they contain is a course at a glance with the scope and sequence um prioritized vocabulary terms um standards alignment etc. That's all in there and also there's example lesson plans, there's examples of learning intentions and success criteria in there. There's links to all of our guides. Um they were all created with our CSD teachers from those expert teachers in our classroom as our teacher leaders and they link to both teacher created material and purchased material that we have vetted and gotten approved through the instructional process in our district. Um they are being used across the state as well as as um models and also resources in other districts. We were able to
171get the data on how many views these had just first semester of last year and our highest guys that um high school visual arts and elementary theater actually had about 12,000 views each um from AC across the state. So the and it goes down to from some of our smaller programs around 1,200 but there's anywhere in between. So that's really fun and surprising data. Um, we do go into classrooms a lot and this is something that's also been increased since 2022 and we just have the time to be able to do so a little bit more in the than in the past. So this is some data on uh from first semester on our hours and the purpose of these specifically is for us to to do coaching at community events as it says but
172really to see and get insight from our arts classrooms that we can be much more relevant and understand where our instructional supports need to go if we are in the classrooms with teachers seeing co-eing with them um supporting observing attending their events both the process and the products that Bradley talked about we try to attend those very carefully. And now we get to see JP. >> Hey, thanks for letting us speak today. And uh so really quick, we've talked about a lot of the supports that we're trying to put in place for programs that already exist. Also, uh supports that we put into place for uh strengthening a pipeline between uh feeder systems. But one of the really exciting things uh that we're really uh trying to amplify is uh creating new avenues for students
173to join the arts. So, you know, just because a student didn't, you know, pick up the arts when they were 14, it doesn't have to be over for them. And maybe we can find some new connecting points for them. And so, there's some really exciting programs going on. And one the one that uh is pictured here uh is the Diamond Ridge High School Music Program, which was just started uh two years ago. And uh and I and I you know we use the word rockstar about a lot of things in education but these kids are literally rock stars like they've started rock bands and stuff at the school and uh it's in their music classes. And if you notice one of the special things in this slide is uh the picture on the center right
174you'll notice that one of the drummers uh that's Amy Budker principal at Diamond Ridge High School. She was in a drum she was in drum lines and did that professionally for a long time. If you go on our communications uh sites on Facebook, you can actually see her playing the drums in that video and it's really really cool and she connects with the kids in a really special way that way. Um and another you can see the other names of programs. I could speak uh equally cool stories about all of those programs. Um but one I did want to highlight is at the bottom we discussed how there's sometimes a variety at our middle schools of what arts might be offered. And so what's uh started happening is a lot of our teachers at the
175middle schools are offering afterchool music and theater programs. Uh this is happening at Indians Hills Middle. They are offering after school drama. Albian Middle School offers after school drama and after school choir. Midvil Middle School offers an afterchool choir. Uh and as uh Mindy stated earlier, many of our elementary schools have uh choirs that happen after school, too. uh beyond just trying to connect new students uh with the arts, uh some of our programs see such great growth that uh they need to find new places to give appropriate instruction for the students in their classrooms. So they add new levels and new ways to to approach students. So you can see like JV Ballroom for example, there were so many students on the Altahigh Ballroom team that they had to add a second level so
176that they could like scaffold that in a in a different way. And and we're seeing that in a lot of different programs too, which is really really exciting. Um, one thing that uh we we identified is uh to throw a broader net and to make sure that we are uh catching new communities of students and engaging students that are already at the school, maybe not coming from a feeder system, is that we constantly get students who will take general music classes as uh their arts credit. Maybe they aren't they don't see themselves as like a lifelong musician, but this is something like music appreciation or music connections. And so fulfilling those same standards, some of our our really great practices uh that our teachers were doing in those uh aesthetic music classes has sort of
177inspired this idea of uh accessing students through uh middle school music technology and high school of history of rock. So these went through the approval process. uh we we as an arts team kind of moved that forward and there were two school uh three schools that took us up on it after they got the approval process done and um they were able to fill these classes with like little to no recruitment. So there was no vertical alignment needed. These were students that they sort of were able to uh just pull and and get them to join the class. And so there's really exciting things happening here uh in the music uh in both of these classes. Uh the curriculum is free and affordable. So like the the curriculum is all free or created uh from
178our team and then uh the in terms of the sorry the software that's being used at the middle school technology there's been lots of work done to make sure that that is cloud-based can be used on a Chromebook that the students already have and is like what's the most affordable but quality version of that. Um, so that's been really exciting. And we uh just finished our first full semester at Mount Jordan with the middle school music technology class. And one of the cool things that we're uh that they are stating here, and this is self-reported data from them. These are them just filling out sort of an informal survey. Um but they are see you can see in their quotes that they're they're seeing the relevance of how this can help them uh later on
179not only in other music classes but potentially in other classes where they have to create media for projects or in uh and hopefully that can translate into career uh based skills as well. Um the the other thing that I thought was interesting in the data uh in the survey, 35 of the 53 students who took the data stated that they had no interest in taking a music elective, but nine of those students said that they were uh they indicated that they would be interested in taking orchestra, choir, percussion, and band. And again, this is an informal survey. We'll have to see how registration cards turn out, and we'll we'll continue to follow up with that. But I thought that was really cool because I uh another portion that's not shown here in the survey was
180students stated that they were far more comfortable um with music notation and basic music skills as well. So really exciting stuff happening there. Uh this is a quote from our really awesome new teacher at Alta High. She's our new choir teacher and she's piloting the history of rock course. But I think her quote also speaks to how we can uh broaden the the community of students that we're reaching. Um, one of the awesome things about the history of rock classes, it's not only about just studying the music aesthetically and interacting with rock music, but the curriculum that we're working with really emphasizes student talk in the classroom. So, students interacting with one another, not just being glued to a Chromebook the entire time, but uh h making sure that students are speaking and uh engaging
181with the music in a in a real way that is collaborative. Um, and what the the other thing we're trying to track in these classes is making sure that we're not, you know, robbing Peter to pay Paul. We're not uh stealing from our already awesome music programs. So, at Alta High, we uh we ran the numbers. There's 560 students in music uh traditional music classes that were previously offered at Alta High. Uh 57 students are in the history of rock class and only three of them cross over. So, I do think that we are reaching a broader net here with some of our music uh and arts classes that we're trying to uh offer that way. >> I'll try to be as excited as JP about talking about the elementary initiatives that we're starting and
182I really am as excited. Um this was a something that we was done before 2020 but was brought back. Um, we have a Jordan Valley BTS arts partnership with Bella Vista, Draper, Willow Springs, and Ridgerest, which is uh made possible by BTS arts funding for our visual arts BTS specialist at Jordan Valley, Jonathan Hail. And he's done such great work with these um schools that the students of Jordan Valley are best to these schools and the instruction is inclusive to and uh universally designed to include artists of all of from all of the schools. and we're starting they're starting with music this month at Ridgerest. So, it's a really really exciting program. Um there's a research project being done with the U to see the student growth um in this program and also all of
183these teachers presented at the U of UBTS art symposium to principles across the state about two weeks ago. It was a really really wonderful presentation and this is a wonderful program. And another thing that I want to highlight is the district allotted BTS arts additional hours for collaboration and co-eing. So a pressure we experienced a year and a half ago or two years ago was when the elementary schedule was was changed to afford elementary teacher prep time which was important and needed. And what happened was there were some schools that were doing integrations or wanted to do integrations and they were trying to figure out with their hours and their BTS teachers how that was going to continue. So with um funding from the district leadership, thank you so much that we have been able
184to give extra hours to schools that applied that were that those hours did not afford them to continue those or increase those efforts that they wanted to increase. And you can see the schools that were um using that funding and apply for that funding in 2425 and then how those schools increased in 25 and 26. You can actually see that Butler did not move over because I did not send a secret memo to principal Stacy, but Butler did decide to use funding from their own school to to continue that initiative. And she talked about that a little bit um at the beginning. Um and you can see there's some examples here of this in action. I This is the most fun part of my job when I get to go into elementary school classrooms and
185see and document some of these amazing things that are happening and all of these instances. And I could have filled the slide with more much much more of classroom teachers and their BTS arts teachers in the classrooms um supporting grade level content with the arts integration element. So these are some fun examples of that and also what principal Stacy spoke to is there are many schools that are using their own funding time um efforts etc to do this without that district supported funding where it wasn't needed or there was other allocations found and here are some wonderful examples of that um some of them are coming from where uh they're small schools where the BTS teacher has that extra time some of it the schools is funding it. Um sometimes they're pulling people from outside
186um our view of view partners or myself. I've gone in and helped some schools do some arts integration. So these are really some of those wonderful efforts and again I could fill the slide with more but these are some examples of that happening. So also speaking to some of the big efforts that are being made and where we can find realistic uh extra resources that we can add into the arts. Uh there's so much creativity happening from our teachers. Um on this on these slide on this slide right here, all of these are titles of classes that are on course c uh course cards around our high schools right now. Uh trying to draw new demographics of students and new uh students that maybe hadn't had um or or maybe they just saw barriers to
187them joining the arts or didn't see themselves as a certain type of artist. These these are other ways that we can teach our really great art uh standards um in our schools. um beyond uh our teachers uh performing uh after school in their own personal uh schools and in their own venues as as well as at state level events. Uh we do host a slew of district arts events and programs uh that we wanted to highlight and uh that that um are really great for all of our students around the district. We have events from elementary all the way through high school. And uh there are two new ones that we wanted to specifically highlight tonight that we've sort of restarted uh since or restarted or started from scratch since 2022. And one is the
188secondary district dance concert that'll happen this year on March 13th. Uh and I it'll be at Hillrest High School. And I encourage anybody to come. And there's a pops collaboration. Our uh pops groups uh are repatory dance theater and Ryrie Woodbury. They're both uh really awesome dance groups and they're providing dance workshops free of charge at those events which are really really exciting. And um and then the students will put on a concert in the evening. So it ends up being a really cool like day of dance rather than just a district dance concert. And our middle school theater teachers took the initiative to start a middle school theater showcase where the students from around the district perform with each other and for each other and it ends up being a really cool collaborative event.
189Um, you know, speaking of our our performances, uh, there are so many celebrations in the arts and, uh, as we continue to try to solicit those from our teachers and reach out and just in speaking to teachers, it's like every time we speak to teachers in our district, we find out new really great celebrations. And, um, the, you know, these are just some of the competitions that and and art shows and things that our students participate in. And we really wanted to say uh thank you to CSD Communications because if you're on the CSD Communications page, it's like at least once a week, a lot of times more, there are really great art celebrations that they're helping us to publish and they do that intentionally and they meet with our teachers when whenever we we
190can get them in front of our teachers to encourage them to send uh over celebrations and the awesome stuff that they're doing. So, >> uh, in the spring of 2025, Hillrest Theater was awarded the best instate award for the outstanding work as a theater education, uh, program. And then later that evening, they found out that they were awarded best in state for overall education, which is a real testament to the theater program there at Hillrest High School. but also it stresses the fact that arts education supports overall education for all those students involved in the program. And so we stated earlier that our goal was to have a greater impact with a greater number of students. And that is because students in arts classes grow in these six core core components of the portrait of
191a canyon scholar. um students who may not uh get the opportunities or excel in other classes can find ways to excel in these skill sets in the arts. And it's one of the reasons that we want to make sure that we are finding relevance, finding entry points, finding students who may not be engaged in the arts, finding a way to bring them in because we can um see success for those students in educational realms and in artistic realms as well. And this has been a focus of the work with content leads and instructional guides and professional support. We want to make sure that our teachers excel as artists and as educators as well. Um we also see how much uh CSD arts aligns with the strategic plan and we will continue to support that and
192promote that in our work with the teachers. Uh we keep talking about the teachers um oh one more thing future goals and initiatives. Again, it breaks down to greater impact for a greater number of students, but we want to find ways to make sure that we are supporting the the strategic plan and and portrait of a canyon scholar. Uh we want to increase arts integration. We want to make sure that the support and resources are there uh for teachers to find success in promoting student achievement and participation in the arts. Uh we want to make sure that uh our teacher leadership teams continue to move forward. Um, this is just a a list of some of the recognitions that teachers and administrators in our district have had in the arts over the last couple of
193years. These are school, district, state, and national recognition, including Enrique, who we talked about earlier this evening. Um, there's some really, really great and wonderful things happening and Canyons really does stand out as a beacon of arts education in the state and we are happy to work with those teachers and those programs. So, if you want to know more about what's going on, you can visit the website kendist.orgarts. It's got a lot of our resources. It also has a calendar there that uh includes those performances so um community members can be aware and participate and in that. So, thank you very much for your time and allowing us to share some of these great things that are happening with CSD arts. >> Okay. Thank you so much. It has been a while since we've had
194a presentation on the arts. So, we really appreciate this. Um, so now board, do you have any comments or questions? Whoa. >> I don't know who I don't know whose hand is first. So, >> down the line. >> Okay. Why don't we start with Mr. Edel right here and we'll go down the line and then we'll go over here. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh I'm going to start with uh over on slide uh 11 you talked about some of the examples of vertical arts activities. Um the students hosting workshops at the feeder schools. Is that new or did I just miss that in the past? >> What do you mean in terms of like is that a new program or were they always doing that? Um, it's been around for a bit. Yes. >> Okay.
195I I didn't remember it in the past, but now I've had three children in the last week who have participated in that. >> Uh, so so >> it it has Yeah, I >> it it has ramped up. They it has existed, but yes, they are becoming more frequent. >> Okay. Yeah. So, I've had two in middle school and then one in elementary who've participated in the last week. I mean, that's this week when I got home, what I heard about. Um, and uh uh so I've got kids pretty actively involved in in a lot of these different programs uh elementary into middle school. Uh I think that's absolutely fantastic. The the um the vertical activities to get them started. I mean, my fifth grader is super excited about uh going into band when he goes
196into middle school next year and has already identified his favorite instruments that he wants to try to get now. Um and uh the reports from my middle schoolers about uh the elementary kids who are now really excited um to go into band immediately um upon going into middle school. I think that's fantastic. My kids also participated um in one of the uh shared concerts. We've talked about the um conductor swaps with the high school. Um and so I just want to say on that one that I think that uh those are all really fantastic activities. Um on slide 11, you talked about some of the volatility in middle school arts enrollments and you talked about uh some of the teachers uh whenever they swap out etc. uh that causes a lot of volatility. Um and
197I can definitely see that. I think that the arts teachers in schools are perhaps the most beloved people um in existence. I know uh across the street at Mount Jordan, Mr. Simmons um is the most beloved individual and if he were to ever just leave, students would ask to permit into his house. Um, with that though, and I know I'm going to butcher what she told me because it was I think a couple years ago now, but um, the one of the teachers there, uh, I think she does theater right now and I'm not sure what else she does. um but was actually talking about this specifically with the difficulty and building up a program uh and how for some of the established teachers it was pretty easy um to keep it going right with
198music he's been there for for a decade uh each student who comes in after knows exactly what teacher they want first you know it's him uh and how she kind of had to start from scratch but one of her concerns and this was when I was fairly new to the board and so again I I feel like I I hope she sends me an email and tells me how it really is. Um but it like she felt a lot of instability of even thinking that she would stay at the school. Um and that there was a high potential of just getting moved and um and it seems like like you've identified and and potentially addressed that. I'm just kind of curious as to kind of what's gone into that to help with that program stability.
199>> Well, I mean, Mount Jordan Middle was one of the schools that did pilot the uh music technology class uh that has helped to increase the numbers of students participating with uh the music teacher there. And so, um, that is one of one of our goals is to go what are classes that that might be able to fill quickly, um, to help out with these numbers and transitions. Um, schools have to be I I know like at Umont, they have a teacher who's licensed in one area who is now teaching in an arts area and will be working on her endorsement. Um, and that has allowed them to have a program that only has a couple of classes right now, but once those students are participating in it and and that program has some time
200to build, that's a way that they have. So, schools are being creative and how they're approaching that challenge and it is a challenge. >> Okay. Yeah. And I guess my question really kind of goes into that latter part, right? where as they're building up the program um because that's I think where if I understood correctly was was the real challenge was um you know the first year or two while you're getting the program established wanting to because students need to want to go into it right uh and they don't want to go into it if their friends haven't told them to want to go into it uh and so it takes a minute uh and I know that that was a concern um I know at the time she was really concerned about uh just
201getting moved moved um and she seems to be fairly well established now um and uh runs a great theater program. So, >> and I know that's one of the goals of the afterchool programs as well is to introduce students to this art form possibly to the teacher who might be teaching it in the future and so we do have to kind of lay the groundwork for for making sure that there's there's a support for that. >> Okay, that's fantastic. Uh, and so I guess I'll just finish just by again saying how much, uh, my children love the different arts programs. So, um, in middle school, we've got music, we've got, uh, theater. So, I've got one kid doing a theater class, but I think, um, both of them have participated in a play each year.
202The elementary level, they've they've done a play at the end, um, after school that they've participated in. Um, I think they had I think they had choir. I don't know if they do this year. I don't think they do this. Anyway, kids who have done choir uh after school. Um, and uh, and other things. As I was going through here, I was like, "Oh, yep. That one, that one." Uh, and anyway, they're they're really really great. We have we have some amazing programs. So, thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Uh I just wanted to comment specifically on the middle school music technology class. Um in my experience, there's a large population of students uh who are deeply engaged in their social lives obviously, but more specifically how it relates to music and how
203music works with friendships in that kind of way. Uh I think this is such a great opportunity for our students to blend their social lives. A lot of the reason why a lot of our kids go to feel like they are in school is for socialization. And I feel like this is a great opportunity to blend what we want to instill like an educational experience as well as giving students an opportunity to study something they're deeply interested in. Uh, in my experience, there are a lot of kids that are apathetic about school and really really find a lot of safety, not even safety, but just community in music and having an a resource at the school to provide more of a whole music education. Uh, that so you can understand the technology uh what makes
204music, how to even more read music more uh how to even read music. I think sets our students up for a great skill in the future. Uh this is a will provide not only an awesome opportunity to pick up and sharpen a new skill, but will also help students find the value in being in school. So I just wanted to say thank you for uh looking at music education this way and getting our kids super seriously involved in our school. >> Yeah. and JP did create that curriculum and I think he found that need and and was able to do that. So, >> okay. Thank you, Mrs. Nymar. >> Okay. Thank you so much for your presentation. Um, I know on the school board my identity is a big sports advocate. Um, I have seven
205boys and I've been a sports mom for years and grew up in a a a big sports family. But it may surprise you to know that long long ago in a galaxy far away, I was actually a theater teacher. and um and theater. Um I had scholarships in college for theater and I did theater a lot of my life. So my questions are centered on that. I I think it's so so very important for these kids. There's life skills with public speaking and being able to get up and give oral presentations. And the one thing I'm sad about is we don't have enough theater programs in our elementary schools. There's only four, I believe. Is it four or five? Can you please talk to me about that and what are our plans for the future
206that way? because I know there's other um districts where they have it in every elementary school and I would just love to see some growth that way. >> I am also a theater teacher and a sports mom too and a sports mom that doesn't know much about being a sports mom but I um I I understand completely and one thing that's um the hiring of of our teachers and those programs are often based on the candidates they have apply and um and they are sightbased decisions. I will say, and I get to see and be in our performing arts classrooms, our music teachers and our theater teachers and our dance instructors are really so fantastic at blending through those performing arts. So, I'll go into a music classroom and see them doing pantoime and see
207them doing theater and see them doing all of those art forms within those performing arts. So, they're really, really fantastic. And we do specific sharing and trainings on that as well in our performing arts because in the elementary schools it really is about exploration and and exposure and all of those things. So that is happening. And so while you see performing art that just says music, there's often and almost always more going into those classrooms as well. They're adding movement. They're dancing around. The our BTS uh U of professional development partners are fantastic at teaching all of those art forms. They're collaborating. Sorry. integrating they're integrating in more than just music to science or whatever it may be. They're integrating with our other art forms as well. So that can be some information that our
208students are getting some of that theatrical instruction in the elementary schools in all of their performing arts art forms as well. >> Is are is there any plans to encourage more of the afterchool programs or anything like that within the elementary school? >> There are plays and I haven't gotten the amount of um exact plays. they pop up really based on if there's parents who are able to do it or if there's a teacher at the school who's able to do it sometimes. So those how many plays exactly are happening in a school year are really hard to pin down. Um but I do see that those are happening more and more and and the schools that don't have choirs, it's because they have a theater teacher and a play at the school too. So
209it really depends and often in our uh music programs they're doing presentations where the kids are getting up and speaking between the music performances and stuff and giving them that experience that speaking experience. So still blending even in those after school programs. So I mean we're always encouraging if they can support more support more curricular support to get those done. It really just depends on the staffing and the time after school. Sometimes I'll sit in meetings and they're like, well, Tuesday morning to Thursday morning is orchestra and so then we have booklets on these mornings and like literally the time that they have to do it in the school as well. So those factors all go into it. >> And then thank you so much. And then also in your diagrams, I I saw where
210it would say after school programs. And then um do we have a maybe I missed it in the slides a good um little visual art graphic there that shows how many of them are just built into their school day with brain boosters and how many are after school. >> The only one this after school program in this diagram is our elementary orchestra program. >> Okay. >> Yeah. And everything else here is district built into the school day and our brain booster. Yep. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Oaks. >> Okay. I've got lots of notes and please forgive me because I've got my head's going in a million directions. This is a subject obviously I'm really passionate about and there's a lot to celebrate here. Um, one of which
211is the instructional guides. I'm so happy that you involved teachers in developing that. Those that are really great at that. That's awesome. Another thing I want to remind um my board members, especially those that were with me on the board at the time, I don't know if you guys remember, but um years ago, it was probably during COVID actually, when we were talking about um students mental health, and we did a survey with kids in middle and high school and asked them questions both um specific and open-ended, what their arts um classes meant to them. And it was mind-blowing. Like there were some of them that made me cry actually because a lot of those kids talked about how it was the one place that they came every day where they could feel centered and
212peaceful and that they could create something and there was like no wrong answer, you know, that they could it it was a really important place for them emotionally. And so I am extremely passionate about this. Not only does it do that for kids, but it teaches them all of the skills um the soft skills that we've talked about in the portrait of a Canyon Scholar, it teaches them creativity and collaboration, critical thinking. There's so many pieces to arts um education that we need to think about and why it's so important. So with that in mind, I am fully supportive of so much of moving forward and trying to um so that's please take any questions I have and that's where I'm and I've organized my questions kind of according to level. So I'll start a
213little bit with um elementary. So we talked about arts integration in the classroom and this is something I have harped on a long long long time and I know that the plan is for all classroom teachers to start incorporating that more. What are the specific plans about how to do that? Like, you know, are we going to have them attend some of these BTS conferences, the ones I've attended in the past, they're definitely you were there and some of our district personnel and some of our BTS teachers, but I don't see as many of our classroom teachers. Um Karen went with me to the Arts Express conference this past summer and it, you know, again, it was amazing and she was like, "Oh my gosh, this is so great for classroom teachers." That's my first
214question. And then the second is, are we creating time in their schedule or allowing them permission to be able to do those things? Ostensibly, it shouldn't be an add-on. It should be an incorporation. >> Yes. So, I can speak to to some of those things. Um, arts express conference that you spoke to, we have paid for that for all K5 district educators for, I think it's three years now, and we're going on to our fourth. That is in the works and in the plans to do so. And it has increased every single year. I just pulled those numbers. I think last year it was 32 I want to say off the top of my head. Teachers, >> how how long in advance are those teachers given heads up about it? Because last year when I
215saw the emails come across, it was kind of last minute. I'm just curious if we're giving them enough. >> That probably was like three years ago that it was last minute. I think that was on the table the year. Last year it was before in the early bird time. It was right around this. I have already sent an email to our BTS teachers letting them know. By the way, we will pay for this this year and as soon as their registration's not up yet. I the guy in the email said probably February 17th is when that will be up. So that is already in the plans to go out in that elementary email um to all of our K5 teachers and it's already they're aware of it. >> So it's not just BTS, it's also
216K5. >> All K5 and that has been the case. We've really tried to advertise that through all of our EV elementary avenues of communication for the last two years. I think sometimes when things take time and are new and getting people who are like I went to that that was so great this this was something you know also bringing our district specialists in has been an initiative of mine. Cynthia Lloyd went with me a few years ago and then um Jonathan Stewart and uh Chands went as well. And so as you say the question as how are we getting and supporting our all of our classrooms teachers to do arts integration those our my counterparts my colleagues have been really really wonderful in collaboration in that as well. Um Cynthia Lloyd has worked with me
217and Bradley Moss on adding arts integrated um activities into our science curriculum um into um same with Chandra. there's already talks of us going to you know steam together and steam conferences the arts express conference etc. So from the top of our curriculum creators and supporters and professional learning leaders um down. So the arts express conference is one important initiative and also just embedding those things into the curriculum that we create and giving them those trainings and I've had those curriculum leaders into our trainings too at the BTS um our district trainings to be able to do cross collaboration that way. >> Awesome. >> Thank you so much. That's really helpful. Um, another question I have is about the total hours we're granting for additional co-eing and collaboration for BTS teachers. So, how many total
218hours do we have for that? And also, I understand that um it's not available or distributed until November and that that kind of creates a bit of problem with momentum being lost when they're not able to start back in August. >> Yeah. All things and notes of the administrative of it. I'm being a teacher specialist I'm not always in the purview of um I I do know that there are things that funding wise become this is when we know when we have this funding is is my understanding or how how when we know we can move forward there is an application process that is important so what we found is if they have a solid plan and then the new schools have met with me and then I go in and I see how what
219they're doing and I support them and I am able to share those great things That's a really important process, too. So, it's more than just, hey, we have some money. It's, hey, what is your plan? How can we support you with that? This this plan isn't actually what these specific hours are for that sometimes will happen. Um, so there is a large element and a process to it. And I think it's really new. So, I think we're still ironing out some of those kinks as it goes forward and and I know that momentum is really, really important. So, we're still getting that on its feet and that is one of the things we'd like to continue to improve. So, how many hours are available for for that? At this point, do we know? >> 20
220total for the whole district. Okay. And then when does the application process start for that? >> It has been it has been varied. It's been at the beginning of the school year is when I believe it was this year. >> Is it is there any way to move that in the spring like or so that schools know what to plan on or know how to know how to engage by fall? I I don't see any reason not to do that now that we have the process ironed out a little more and I do think that that's potentially something that could be on the table. >> Okay, that would be awesome. Um, another question. So, the district arts events and programs are great. My kids have participated in them before and um, POPS in particular, I
221think, is an amazing thing. I mean, our state pays for it. I know that there's been some question about funding moving forward. I don't think they're going to eliminate it. But here's one of my hesitencies and sadnesses with this. I love it on paper. Looks amazing, but not every school utilizes it. In fact, I would say from what you know, asking around a lot of times our principles feel a lot of pressure to make sure that we're keeping the wheels on the wagon with all of the curriculum that's expected of teachers. And so we pass off really pass by really golden opportunities for our kids to be exposed to incredible arts professionals. And um this is you know Amanda speaking and I can't speak for the whole board but if I had my wish it
222would be that every school every year gets at least one of those that all of the kids you know K through five are exposed to one of those and that there's some sort of rotating basis of some kind to allow for the kids to receive more exposure to that. Does that make sense? >> Yeah, we do do u something very similar to that with our arts uh inc assemblies. So we pay for and every single school will have an arts inc assembly which is I went and saw fiddle tunes at Glacier Hills about two weeks ago um with salt dance um storytelling etc. Every single one of our schools has one of those in their school every year and we rotate them. We make sure that they get different art forms. So we are doing
223some version of that with the arts inc assemblies. As far as the POPS groups specifically, those are sitebased decisions and I know that you know school's time is definitely spread thin. Um, so one thing that I have done and actually took a slide out of this because I wanted to to show you this, but um, put together a the POPS groups. If you go on the USB website, they're pretty hard to navigate to know um, exactly what your offerings are and what you can do if you're like, well, I'm a fifth grade teacher and I'm interested in this. So, um, if you go to our website, you can see under our partners, our POPS documents where there's elementary offerings and they're all laid out really, really well. You can click on them and just see
224because I do think just information and knowing what's out there is a large portion of that. And those documents have been used at the state as well and I've done it for both elementary and secondary. So, just the education and awareness and ease of access I think is really really important to that. So, that's a big effort we've made to that. >> I love that. I'm just wondering if there's any way that we can communicate more effectively with principles that that's there and that's a priority and it's really I I just think every K through five student needs to have at least an exposure to one of those a year. That's my that's my opinion. I think they're incredible opportunities and it's funds paid out of the zap tax, you know, so so for them
225to be able to see up close and personal professional storytellers, professional visual artists, ballet I mean, there's a a program through the Utah Opera where they will come in and work with your kids and they write an opera and perform it. I mean, come on. Like, this is amazing. So, I used to work for them. >> So great. Yeah. So great. So, but I'm saying we're leaving these opportunities on the table if if we're not prioritizing them. So, that's just one of the things I I wanted to throw out there as well. Um, as far as like middle and high school, and this has been um this is a little bit different. I I know we've tal talked about equitability with scheduling and um and and making sure that they can actually fill their classes,
226right? And I think one of the things that sometimes happens particularly at the secondary level is this pressure that a principal feels about making sure that everything is equal and the same across with their faculty. But especially in working with the arts consortium, one of the things I came to realize in talking to teachers and and speaking to what um Mr. Edol brought up is that equitable looks different based off of subject somewhat. And um I think it's important for us to address that and effectively be able to support our arts teachers by maybe better educating their principles or um helping administrators understand how that's supposed to function in order to have a thriving arts program. It's not intuitive unless you've ever been an arts teacher. And um I'm just wondering, you know, maybe some
227of what we what we can keep doing so they don't have to constantly fight for enrollment. Another piece of equitability and Sherry Jorgensson and I used to have this conversation quite often is like with the C test. So, um, one of the challenges that came up when she was in that position was that, um, you know, some of the administrators would come in and go through a CTE test evaluation with an arts teacher, not having an arts background and not understanding what some of those things look like in a very different context. And so, I, you know, I'm curious about with CASS um, evaluations, who are doing those evaluations? Are we making sure that if we're going into a classroom of for a choir teacher for instance that it's another choir teacher or if it's
228a band teacher that it's someone that has experience actually teaching that art form. >> So I mean you guys can speak to that a little bit more closely. >> Do you want to can we talk to the educating our principles and that first? So yeah, that is something that Bradley and I actively have done and we've been actually invited in and uh our principles are really great to collaborate with and uh I think that um they ju just offering the lens of like hey you know we uh have to hire these really really talented artists who went to through arts education programs. You know recruiting students is not part of your training through that. You know it's like trying to get people to join your program is not that that's an art form in of
229itself. And so, um, making your program marketable, things like that are things that we discuss with our teachers. And these are coaching conversations that we have with teachers and and people that maybe need that help. Uh, we try to make sure that we provide that on a one-on-one basis as well as a district-wide basis. But then also advocating with principles and just, you know, helping them understand it's like, hey, you know, when these are what our numbers look like districtwide, this is what our numbers look like in terms of each individual classroom. And the percentages haven't really changed. It's just as our enrollment lowers as a district, we still want to find ways to make sure that students have equitable access to the arts. And so trying to find and to the principal's credit, if
230I could say this too, I think that our secondary principles have been hugely creative in uh the lowering enrollment of our district, still making arts uh accessible to students and through the really tough decisions that they have to make. They've uh still really done a great job, I think, of trying to make sure that the teachers are supported and stuff. And even though uh you know when when enrollment isn't quite there for a certain program it might not feel that way. I you know in the conversations we've had it it really I think that they do prioritize that uh you know students can access the programs that they want to access. So in terms of the C test stuff though I think Bradley could probably speak to that better than me on this. >> Oh
231that's true. Also, yeah, as a choir teacher, I will say that I never had the experience where I felt like uh so I taught choir at Jordan High uh six years prior and I taught uh in another district prior to that, too. But anyway, when I came to Canyon's district, um I was at a performing arts high school prior to Canyon School District for seven years. And I would say that our Canyon School District administrators evaluated my classroom better than the administrators at my performing arts school. and they recognized right away that me asking students to change technique and sing um you know they they knew that that was an opportunity to respond. They knew what a feedback loop looked like with a full ensemble rather than maybe with an individual student. So my experience
232personally was that that was uh that was really great. So I can't speak to that but I I don't doubt that people have had other experiences too and maybe that's why it would be valuable for Bradley to talk about you know some of how the evaluation process works if that's fair. Oh, I just I was going to shout out to our evaluation specialist in the district. She's the best. Um it's my wife. Um but she has decades of experience as an arts educator and in collaborating every year with the administrators, she makes sure that they get into a variety of different types of classes. She talks them through what um these tests standards look like through a lot of different lenses. I feel like there is a lot of support that is being offered that
233I hope is having an impact on these administrators as they are doing CA test administration >> and I'm guessing that would carry the day over perhaps a principal that doesn't have any arts background. Is that correct? >> Okay. >> Yeah. They have they have example videos that they look at from arts classes and and things like that and it is embedded in the training over the last few years. >> Okay. that that this is what this looks like through all of these different >> to that for our principles our principal training. Okay, that's good to know. Um, another question I have is with regard to the vertical alignment. So, I know that this was one of for me one of the most pressing reasons why I wanted to vote for IPLC's is because um arts
234teachers so often were singletons, you know, in their schools and had very little opportunity to collaborate and especially to be able to go down to the middle school and work with the middle school um teachers. Help me um is that something that is emphasized with our principles about prioritizing for our arts teachers? I'm I'm happy to see that it's happening more, but depending on what a high school teacher's schedule is or a middle school teacher schedule is, it may or may not line up. I mean, how are we trying to make sure that piece is equitable because it is quite critical that we maintain that pipeline, right? >> Um, I know the district has set aside uh two uh district collaboration dates this year for vertical teaming uh to happen between the middle school and
235the high school. And many of our arts teachers did it a third time in October. Uh they found a week where the uh scheduled time for a middle school PLC aligned with the high school PLC and on their own chose an additional opportunity to be able to do that. And so the schedule is built to allow those districtwide, but also um our schools have been successful at finding additional opportunities for those vertical alignment meetings to happen >> and PLC time. >> Yeah. And also just a compliment to our principles once again uh when uh we reached out to say hey these are act we know these are supposed to be horizontal PLC's at middle school level or high school level um we we said hey you know our arts teachers may be asking uh to
236go meet at a different area and we're hoping that you can support that. It was like all of the responses from the principles were hugely supportive saying hey that's a great idea and we really like that you're taking the initiative to do that. We like that they're taking the initiative to do that too. So >> I'm happy to hear that. That's great. Okay. So another question is with regard to some of these other classes. So like media arts, I have to say that's fantastic. I love that they're having the opportunity to understand how to mix sound. That is an entire entirely different and fascinating level of art. I do have a little bit of concern about the history of music classes. And I'll tell you why. And and I've taken art history and I love
237it. and it gave me a huge appreciation for all of the art that I've ever traveled and seen. But it was different than actually creating a painting myself. So I'm curious like for me one of the most important pieces of arts education is for a student to actually engage in the physical creative process. And while understanding and appreciating how somebody else has done that is it's different than them doing that themselves. I'm curious whether or not those curriculums actually involve those pieces. >> So, are you speaking speak? So, music technology, the middle school music. >> Oh, I know that does. Yeah, because they're mixing. Yeah. >> So, the other one would be the high school history of rock and our teacher at Alta High has like um Yes. is the answer is that she's working
238really hard to make that a creative class. She's bringing in uh rock and roll like bands from their community at Alta High. She's also bringing in like uh ways that students can start to engage and create like uh the uh example she told me uh sorry tissue box guitars is what she had the kids built. So they literally built their own guitars out of tissue boxes and stuff so they could see what that was like and many of the students have been offered opportunities to create. I think the really important thing here is to realize that the whole goal and and you know as a person who that this was a real uh priority for me where this came from was uh having taught music appreciation myself seeing so many different students that I know
239never would have joined my choir class and then just having the opportunity to connect with them and say hey look if you can just make music in small ways in my classroom and get comfortable making music at school again or maybe for the first time ever now hopey hopefully they can join uh like my actual choir and I was you know uh you know not as successful as I would hope but maybe as successful as you can be realistically uh for choir but that doesn't mean that they can't join other classes too and and I would just say that they are afforded those opportunities in that class but maybe the overall purpose is to keep connecting kids to that classroom and keep connecting kids to music education because it's only a semester class and they
240I think they require a one and a half credits of arts total, you know. So, this gives them a great introduction. It gives them it reduces the barrier of some of those introductory skills and introductory knowledge that they need to be be comfortable seeing themselves as a musician in a music class, you know, and now they have the opportunity with a teacher they've already built a relationship with to hopefully engage in more music making at the school. >> That's helpful. I mean, I think it's so important for it to go from a place that's conceptual to active, right? And so if it's including that, I think that that's valuable for sure. But it it definitely speaks to the fact that there we did lose a lot of kids in COVID and those artistic experiences. And
241so you can tell that there's a gap that we're trying to overcome. And it definitely speaks to the fact we need to keep capturing these kids earlier. It's kind of like um coding, like if you don't catch them earlier, they're not going to do it later. So you really you kind of have to strike while it's while they're younger and and more open to certain things. So, um, let's see. >> Well, I'm sorry if I could jump in there, too, because yeah, you can, but also I do and I think that that's really valuable and that's where you'll see the kids that really go on by the time they finish high school. They're your advanced kids. They're your top kids. And I worked with those kids too, you know, when I was teaching and and
242I know that's an amazing thing and we shouldn't uh deemphasize how awesome that is. But I also want to point out that uh offering entry levelvel courses like if a kid hasn't started doing music by the time they're 15, it shouldn't be something that's closed off to them. It should be something that's open to them and not only open to them but feels really encouraging and inclusive for them, too. And I think that's where these classes can grab some of those kids, >> right? And if they haven't been exposed by 15, we didn't do something right. >> Yeah. Agreed. >> You know what I mean? So that's that's part of where I'm coming from. Okay. So, um, one of the last things I want to request is, you know, and and it's I apologize. I
243have so many questions. It's been a long time since we've had the arts presented, but one of the things I would really like to see happen is a survey of our arts teachers specifically. I'd like to know how they feel supported or not supported, what we can do to improve certain things, whether it's with schedules um, with our BTS teachers. You know, I know that there have been a lot of questions because of the changes in the elementary school schedules um whether or not they feel like their vertical PLC time is adequ ad adequate, if they need more of it, um or if they even feel like their PLC's are working. I mean, we're in high quality learning, we've been talking about that across the board, like especially in high schools. I really want to
244know if this is working for our arts teachers, and if not, what are the barriers that to that? So, I'm wondering if there's a way that we could send an a survey. And I I do want to have some open-ended opportunity for them to communicate with us. I don't think we have so many that that would be overly difficult to be able to read what they have to say. Um, and then just one more thing like I I you had so many wonderful things to celebrate on there and I haven't really mentioned this but one of the things that um was a big deal for Korean Canyon and it wasn't listed on there and I just want to throw this out there is that their band and orchestra were both named state winners for the
245foundation for music education national competition which that I don't know if the public knows they have over 400 national entries and to be a state winner means that you're the best from the So that is both bands and orchestras and it was all of them which really speaks volumes to Dr. Clark and to Mitchell Latencio over there at the high school like so anyway I appreciate what you guys are doing. Thank you so much. Um again this is such an important part of our kids education. I can't overemphasize it. More and more we're hearing from um employers, especially as we've been researching for the innovation center, that what they need are not as many bean counters, but they need people who can creatively think through solutions. And in my mind, the arts are one of
246the best places for that to begin. So, I appreciate what you guys are doing. >> Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Oaks, Mrs. Dolly. >> I'll keep this really brief. Um, first of all, I want to thank you for just creating some of these innovative new programs. Uh, I have a son that's a junior at Brighton and he is one of those disinterested students, but this uh trimester they opened a ukulele class with the first time at the at the school and it's actually fun to have him come home from school and be playing the ukulele and and not wanting to just go sit down and and be on his screen, play video games, whatever it is. So, thank you for doing that. And also just a thank you for our teachers K through five that are
247not just our our classroom teachers are not the BTS teachers that are spending that extra time doing these music programs, these theater programs and it's something the kids look forward to. I know at the elementary school my kids go to man they get so excited for third grade when they get to do schoolhouse rock and you know every every grade has their program and so they're excited when they get to that grade and they get to be doing that program that they've watched their entire um elementary time. So, I just want to thank teachers for for doing this integration even though it's not necessarily required by their curriculum. >> Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Person. >> Okay, I'm at the end of the row and so the water has gone all over the place and it's
248very thin down here. Um, I just wanted to say how excited I am about everything we've been able to do. I was originally an art major before I changed to elementary education. You learned that. So I'm really really invested in arts and I was in choir and you you know those things dance all that kind of stuff. So I feel how I know how important it is to balance our students lives with academics and creativity and it's true the part they remember is is those extra effort that they had to do to create something. The creativity is the important part. Um, most of my questions pretty much were answered by all the deep discussion that we had. Um, I just wondered how often or how much of the curriculum maps for the K um, five
249teachers have arts in all the subjects. Is it just a little bit? Have we added more? Back in the olden days, there weren't any. When I was there, there was none. And that was five years ago. >> In the non-art subjects, that's not something I could speak to very deeply being that they're not the instructional guides. I created. I know that there are I can tell you the people I've worked with specifically. I know I've worked with our social studies specialist Holly Kirk. I've worked with uh our science specialist Cynthia Lloyd. Beyond that, I could not tell you exactly how much the percentage of how much art connections there are. But in our guides, they do connect the other way. And ELA, yes. Oh, and our wonders arts integration. >> I know all that kind
250of stuff. >> Five years ago, it didn't happen. >> Yeah, >> it didn't happen. And I've been pleased to see the >> ELA has connections to our wonders, earth integration. >> No, that was just one person. I'm just saying I just notice it in in the guides and I appreciate that that's being incorporated because sometimes when you're trying to plan your day, >> you don't think, oh, let's see if I can think of something that can go >> artistically. How could we do that? Now, I would naturally do that because that's my interest. But for those that are not terribly artsincclined and don't necessarily have a BTS teacher that can come down and tell help me do that, they try to, but they can't get to all the classes all the time. That's that's the
251difficulty of the the whole system. But um I appreciate that we do what we can to make sure that all of our students get a chance to experience arts in one way or another or all the ways. I'd love to see >> I apologize for getting the ELA and Bernice Allen. That was one of our very first integrations that we did was our Wonders Arts Connections. So, >> well, I didn't teach Wonders. We just got that started. Haven't done it all, but I really appreciate all you've done and thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> This is great. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, I will be very brief as well. And this is my 12th year on the board. And I I just want to say like when I first started, we didn't even
252have brain boosters. And so I I do think we've made a lot of progress and I really do appreciate like all you guys are doing especially at the elementary level. I think yeah we've made a lot of progress in the arts and integration. So keep up the good work. I I do want to ask one question of the board and that is um Mrs. Oak suggested surveying all art teachers. Are are you guys okay with that board? Like what are your thoughts on that? Is the purpose for that so that we can uh evaluate our our funding so we need it before the funding time? I I mean what time frame are you thinking? >> I think it's not just you know >> Oh, I know. We just want to know if they feel >>
253funding to see if they're being effectively supported. I mean >> they are it's a different ball of wax, right, than being in a high school with like four other teachers that teach your same subject or or whatnot. you know, if you're a standalone teacher and um you have kind of unique needs or or issues that you face, how are we doing as a district? You know, I mean, I think it's it's been a long time since we've had a survey like that go out and I am interested in in knowing from their perspective how it's going. >> Okay. Are you talking all levels or or high school? I think recently we did we did do a survey with all of our brain booster teachers. Correct. Okay. >> We do have this data at the BTS.
254>> Yes. So I don't think it's maybe as necessary to do that but I would be interested at the secondary levels and like middle and high school. >> Oh and our instructional technicians. >> Okay. >> I for me particularly the arts, but if you guys are interested in the other standalone teachers, we can talk about that too. Okay. Oh, yeah. Maybe we talk about a little more detail in high quality learning. >> Yeah. >> Amanda, Katie, are you guys? And are you okay with that board? >> Okay. >> I have one thought. >> Oh, yeah. Mrs. Nyar, >> I just have one thought. So, in our elementary schools, I think it would be great at some point to have a survey with students and families about, you know, if there would if they would love
255to have any other programs because some of our schools have theater, some don't. Some have, you know, we we have a variety of different brain boosters offered at different elementary schools. I think that would be great to gauge interest level. >> The only thing is, isn't it the school community council that decides that? The SEC determines that. So I feel like that's but could we encourage the SEC to to look into that a little bit just because there is when we're talking about access and opportunity you know we have we have some very different programs at different elementary schools and some kids are able to participate in for example the elementary schools that have a theater program that actually put on plays. You're going to have probably more of those kids at middle school that
256enroll in those classes. and we have a lot of our elementary schools that don't have any um introduction to that at all. So, >> okay, Mrs. Oaks, >> I agree with Miss Lyra actually. Like I I look at this and I actually I've participated in SEC before at elementary level. I didn't realize that I could have really meaningfully influence that. I mean, if you're getting into an SEC, you're a young parent, you want your child to engage with the arts, but you kind of get in there and there's like this marching order of things that you're trying to figure out in terms of where the the testing has been and where are you going to use your your funding from the land trust and then for from the the TSA your TSP funds. It's I
257think I don't know if it's whether this is a function of having a better conversation or training with SEC's. Um but I think there's a lack of awareness from parents that they can make a meaningful difference at that level. And part of where I'm coming from is that I've had other um patrons in the district come to me and talk about that. Like how can I make sure that my school has a school play? I don't even know where to go. Who do I talk to? you know, I want my kids to be able to participate in that. And when we're talking about doing innovative things to keep kids and and families in the public system, this is an area that parents care a lot about. They really care whether or not their kids have
258access to creative opportunities in the arts. And if they don't feel like their kids are accessing that in elementary, then it's very tempting for them to look to other places where they can. And so I I think it's worthwhile Okay. Superintendent, did you have something? >> I was >> just going to mention I I'm not sure it's policy that it's been that way. I mean, I think we I think it's just been practice. So, I you know, I think we can look at that and decide if there's a certain genre or something that the board that we want to require. I don't there's I don't think there's anything that stops us from doing that. I think it's just been unless somebody tell me it's different. >> No, >> practice. >> Right. Yeah. >> So, I
259was on SEC when we actually decided which type of brain booster we wanted, but I mean that was years ago now. So, I think you do kind of get stuck like once a school chooses one, I think you are kind of stuck in there. And then also I think it depends on what teachers are available because I do think we made a change and it was because of what teachers were available. So maybe it's just something in you know school community council training or even with principles that we make them aware of different opportunities. It's a little bit tricky, too. I mean, you think about on the HR side of things, you're hiring people on soft money, but they're still subjected to HR and compensation policy on that side, right? So, it to then make
260a change and we've experienced this. You try you want to make a change in whatever program that you're offering, then you've got to go through that process of how do you you know, how does where does that person go? So, do they now transfer to another school or is it just, hey, we made a decision and somehow you're at will and we want to go to a different art genre. You see what I'm saying? I mean, it's >> it's complex. >> We run into some complexity that way. But, but I I I think, you know, this is something we've done. It's just been practice. Doesn't mean that it has to stay that way. Kind of Amber's point. >> I also think schools can be creative and just have an afterchool program, right? Like that's the
261whole thing. It doesn't have to be a brain booster anyway. >> Well, Oh, sorry. Go ahead. That's what what I'm thinking if if there can be a survey and if there is an interest so that they could even start an afterchool program or you know I there I would think or or even if it's the music teacher like we're going to do a play you know just one school play this year or something there's there's a lot of opportunity there that I think we can we could harness if if there's just a survey and looking at gauging level of interest that is a lot how that's how a lot of our programs have been born is from before after school programs like music. So, >> every year our our elementary school, I don't know about
262everybody's, but I'm pretty sure they do, they list all sorts of ideas they've gotten from their community and have them vote in the spring. >> They literally do survey what are they the most interested in and they have them mark a certain number or comments. And so, they technically are already surveying them, but I don't know that every school does that. So, I just Well, we got a chance to do that. So, Anyway, >> yeah, >> I know there is that way. PTA can also I'm just saying PTA can also reach out >> um because they run a lot of our programs. >> Okay. Well, we'll let um Amber think about this and figure out how to do that. Um, I will say at Bella Vista, we did have an amazing drama teacher that came
263in and it was along with the curriculum and they my son was in Louiswis and Clark and it was adorable and I think it went along with and he was Clark and my maiden name is Clark so it was very and we are related actually to Louisis and Clark anyway. So it was it was great but >> it was somehow along with the curriculum. I don't know. We somehow figured that out. So I mean schools can figure it out somehow. Okay. Well, thank you so much. We will let you guys go, but thank you. >> Thank you so much for your time and having us. We are really excited to present to you. >> Okay. Thank you. Um so now we have the next item on the agenda and it's item B, strategic plan indicators
264update um by Dr. Robin, superintendent. Um >> first president, thank you. I just want to tell our arts uh leadership team, thank you uh for the great work that that they do and it's um it's very evident that they pour their their heart and soul into this and it it's what makes uh arts what it is, right? And I think Jackson, you said it very well about, you know, students really developing their passion and their love for something that is bigger than themsel, right? and and I think we all know what great value that brings. Um, unfortunately for me, I have no artistic ability. So, uh, I didn't have the opportunity to ever do that. Uh, but being an athlete, I always seen it through the same lens. And that is is that it's that
265opportunity to express yourself maybe in a different way than than any any other opportunity that that you might have. And so, um, you know, I think back to some of our early days during the pandemic when we were talking about, you know, what what is it that's going to get us through, uh, the pandemic. It it wasn't always necessarily remedies that had to do with, you know, external factors, uh, like the air or social distancing or whatnot. But I do remember, you know, deep conversations about our extracurricular programs and the arts and, you know, thinking about like how would we do band, you know, during the pandemic and what would that look like? Uh but just how important that was as a district that we made the decision to stay committed to these experiences that
266that really do provide to in my opinion uh the real lifeblood of what education is all about and all the things that that come with it. So big thanks to our team and all of our brain booster teachers, our BTS teachers, all of our teachers that that teach in the arts. uh just appreciate their their love and their passion uh that they share uh every day with our students and we all know without a doubt that they inspire our kids to to go on and do uh great things. So uh much appreciation. Um it's getting a little bit late so uh we'll fly through this. I I don't know how much time you want to spend uh reviewing this, but I just want to talk a little bit about uh for the public uh and
267our patrons and families to get up to speed with uh the discussion that we had at round table. Really appreciate the board's participation in that. I I thought it was um you know a few hours of just solid discussion and conversation about about where we're at with our strategic plan and vision and looking at our indicators and just the way that we think and go about measuring uh success uh in the in the district. So um we won't spend a lot of time on these. You can you can look at these on on uh Diligent just for everybody listening and watching this these are our core values, mission statement and vision statement within our strategic plan. And as it's noted there, we've talked a lot about uh you know the driving force as our north
268star that all of our decisions should be uh you know through our strategic vision and doing what's what's best for our our students. And just a big thanks to our uh leads that um lead our focus areas. Uh we have four of those. Those are mentioned in each of these slides. Um you know, it's as you look at our as you look at our plan, it's very comprehensive and um you know, it it it's very inclusive and it it's it can be very challenging sometimes. uh in this day and age with everything that's going on in our world, it does feel a little bit like, you know, we're we're doing our best to be all things to everyone uh all the time. Uh but I I think that doesn't remove the responsibility and the stewardship
269we have to our students uh in trying to provide, you know, the very best uh education possible. And I think that reflects in what was shared tonight by our arts leadership team that it it really is the whole child, right? It's it's all of those pieces together. It really is, you know, about head, heart, and hand that all these things focus on academic achievement uh skills and then those durable dispositions that we want our students to have as they go forward. So, um, these are just highlights of some of the, um, priorities that we've been working on, uh, in those committees. And again, appreciate the board and our leads and our administrators that sit on these, uh, committees to continue to really work through what the priorities and the needs of of the district are.
270Um, as we know, the resources become more and more finite. it it's more difficult to to try to prioritize to try to really, you know, focus in uh with a laser on what is exactly uh needed because we're dealing with little people and and these aren't this isn't product. This isn't something that comes off the assembly line. Uh the needs of our students are very unique. And if we truly believe in personalizing that experience and meeting students where they're at, then that does make it more challenging. But uh we're certainly up for that and want to continue to to support that direction. So these are the four uh areas. We won't spend a lot of time. We we reviewed this during round table. Um I I want to get to uh the indicator report and
271I really appreciate Hal being here uh tonight to help with any questions. I know enough to be dangerous between criterion reference and norm reference assessments but uh as you recall in round table you can see the indicators that we currently are using to report on once a year. Um, I would like to know just for the public uh to know and we've talked about this before, but Canyons has been highlighted uh many different times uh by our state legislature uh and in different audits as really being a lighthouse district when it comes to accountability and actually you know when we say we're data informed or data driven that we do use data often uh to inform the decisions that the board makes. Um so these are the current indicators that we've developed over the years
272to to look at to measure success and then you can see some of the additions in round table that we that we have added including uh grades 3 through 10 uh rise proficiency uh and uh growth and then uh we the discussion around uh MAP assessment so that's the vendor is Northwest Evaluation Association I think I got that right is that right Hal Um so NWA is a very well-known assessment uh group and vendor. They've been around a lot of years, very well respected. Um as we mentioned before, MAP is norm referenced. So this is comparing students on the curve against uh their peers around the the country. Is it perfectly aligned to Utah State standards? No. uh but uh using this in place of RARI and MI I think really to me it's a
273great way to triangulate the data in a way that um can show us growth uh on a more formative basis. So I'm excited to see how this continues to develop in the district. I I you know I mentioned this before um the rest of the indicators are are just as important right one of the things that that we know that's important with data is really that longevity uh and being able to validate uh and make sure that that data is reliable right and you do that over time uh using the same methodology so just really appreciate our assessment team and everything that they do uh along with our D team and school performance to to really you know help us understand that playing field right that the goalpost the field the lines are the same
274for students uh when we're looking at how they perform. So, uh, we've added that MAP assessment. You can see that in proficiency and in growth. And then we also, uh, committed to doing more with parent satisfaction survey. I think that kind of goes along with what we were talking about tonight. Um, to trying to understand better about what the needs are of our students and our parents and our families so that we can develop those priorities and meet those needs. >> Any Howal, did I butcher that up pretty good or >> Okay. in places we're going to look at disagregating. >> Okay. Yeah. Which has been awesome and we've always tried to disagregate that to dig a little bit deeper and get a little more granular so that um we can understand you know where
275to target those resources and needs. Um and then I think it's important too to note that we'll continue on with our our focus area reports and many times um as you have seen the board in different times we've requested different types of information to inform the board on how those committees are functioning. Um that that can be a result of something that's happening in the legislature or something that's happening in the district. Um, but just I I really appreciate all the great work that happens there. And we've talked about this before, the challenge in blurring the lines between governance and administration and and how challenging that can be, but also how rewarding that can be. And what I see is the board and our administration really working together uh to develop those uh priorities. In
276many districts, it's much easier to just cut that black and white and and the board and administration uh you know really are not intertwined in that in that work. But I feel like here because of the great work that these committees do that by the time it gets to the full board, if it, you know, is necessary to go that direction, um, that at least three of you that have served on that committee are very well informed and the discussions in my opinion seem, you know, much more productive over the years as we've got better and better and better at collaborating on these issues. you can see some of the reports uh that each of these uh areas will continue to to report on in the future. Okay, so that's a real hopefully a real
277quick summary of round table. Uh thank you again uh for uh all of your input that night and um I I think we talked about it that night. You know that I think doing roundt more often uh could be very helpful uh as things change and adjust. Um so I'll turn it back to you president show for questions or comments. >> Thank you. Um, yeah, we just felt it was important to since we had round table to have the superintendent kind of summarize it and make sure we're we're all on the same page. I also remember we talked about looking at capture rate, but I I do feel like that is under enrollment in under operating systems unless I mean are we all okay with that? But we're going to study the capture rate and
278Okay, that's great. Are there any other comments or questions board about this? Great. Thank you, Superintendent. That was great and very fast. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Um, so first we're going to start with staff comments and thank you Hal for being here. We appreciate you sticking this out for so many hours for your expertise on testing. So thank you. Um, okay. So, superintendent, we'll go to staff comments. We'll start with you. >> Just real quick, uh, thanks again to all of our patrons and parents that were here tonight that shared their comments and and input and, um, you know, we're listening carefully. Obviously, these are some very difficult and challenging times and different issues uh that need to be addressed and need attention. uh but uh I feel like you know the board myself
279our leadership team is always open to trying to to do better and learn from you know everybody's input and the comments that they have. So just expressing much appreciation to everybody including the board tonight for the discussion. >> Okay. Thank you superintendent. Um business administrator report by Mr. Wilcox. >> Yeah. Thank you President Shill. Just a couple things really quick. Uh legislatores in session. appreciate Charlie, Susan, our team's work up there. Uh, one bill I just wanted to point out, it's SB65. It's how school districts are funded with the state basic rate. It came up last year as SB 37. Uh, it was vetoed on the recommendation by the governor on by the recommendation of the state auditor. Uh, I always like being an accountant and I actually worked at the state auditor's office out
280of college for six years. Uh, I just feel like her opinion matters a lot on this bill. She spoke against it again in committee. It still passed through committee. Most of the transparent issues are still there even though they are trying to put a notice on the tax statement, but it's not clear. Uh the state hasn't for about a hundred years used property taxes to run the state general fund and this is what opens up that to-d do. And so that's a big concern for us is we levy the tax but may not get it. We also lose interest on this income that doesn't come to us. It could be a neighborhood of$170 to $180,000 a year. So, it's a it's a big big bill that I hope people are paying attention to. I noticed
281our our uh ESP leadership was here. I know they've gone. I just want to remind the board and everyone that are about our ESP professional development day next Friday, that's the 13th of February at Brighton High. Many of you went to the one we had last year at Jordan High. Similar. They'll be be a little bit longer. We'll have two breakout sessions with a keynote speaker. Uh Scott Mitchell, former quarterback for University of Utah and then in the NFL with Miami and Detroit at least those uh will be speak the keynote. Then we'll have two different breakout sessions and followed by lunch. It's a non- studentent day. So all our teachers will be having professional development, but we also want to offer this to all our ESP ESPs like we've done in the past for
282our bus drivers, custodians, aids, secretaries, everyone along those lines. And speaking of ESPs, I just want to note a couple who are will be leaving us. Uh uh one is Pette Takata. Many of you know Pette. She's in HR. Pette's one of the very first people I met 17 years ago when I started here. uh grateful for her service. Also, Ladina Jenkins right across the hall in accounting. Ladina is one of those I hired 17 years ago as well. So, they've been with us for day one. They'll be leaving us at the end of the month, but appreciate their service with us. And also Brian Vendal Vendal, he's our assistant facilities manager here in this building. He sets up this room every board meeting. Uh he will be retiring at the end of June. So,
283we'll certainly appreciate Brian and all that he's done. Brian's hobby is he's going to spend more time with his main hobby, and that is he goes to Yellowstone and takes pictures of bears, gets very close up to them, sometimes almost in their caves. He's invited Rick and I to go, but we have not taken him up on that offer to go get get close to the bears. So, but best of wishes to all three. We appreciate all their service. So, that's all I have for tonight. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, okay. So, board, it's quarter to 10. And you know that I like to try to end by 10. There's seven of us divided by 15. That means two minutes each, just like our public hat today. So, I'm going to challenge you
284guys. We'll see. We'll see if we can do it. Um, Mrs. Mrs. Nyar asked to go first because she needs to leave and then we'll go to Mrs. Peterson and go down the line. Okay. super fast, super grateful that Leon talked about that um that bill 65. That's a massive overreach. Um interestingly enough, sponsored by a Republican, but it it it goes against local governance and local representation. We've been elected to represent and to be able to uh look at how those funds are allocated, and this is an overreach for the state to take that over instead. And so um please write your legislators. Secondly, I appreciate all the people who came. Um, obviously any anyone following the board meetings knows that some of us um were voted against um moving forward with the proposal.
285I was one of those. Um, not because I don't think my counterparts are extremely smart and good at what they do, but I just see it a little differently and do feel like we need to be creative. I think we need to be innovative. And I think that I'm not thoroughly convinced that's the next best right step. Um but understanding we're in a difficult position with um with student populations and things but um I'm glad they were here. Uh then the last thing is I'm nervous about the DLI program. Uh when I when Amber presented and I was asking about the studenttoteer ratio, I was worried about that. There's been other things coming about. I'm concerned about um thinking about those teachers that teach English. what are they going to do the other half of
286the day when they're in the Chinese or in the French or in the um the different languages and making sure that they have full-time um hours as as was their contract. I'm worried about language acquisition, how that works with the classroom of 32 when these kids are just learning their second language. So, I have a lot of concerns about that. I'd love to bring that back for further discussion. That's it. Thank you. >> Wow, that was good. Thank you. Okay, Mrs. Peterson. >> Okay, we'll make this quick as well. Um, I just would like to invite the board and any of our community who would like to attend tomorrow at 9:30. It's the unified sports area basketball tournament at Alta. And there's also those are always so much fun to see what the kids are
287able to do with their buddies and they're so excited. So, we'd love to have your support. And then there's also, if tomorrow doesn't work, January 11th, there's a unified state invitational basketball tournament and that will be at Jordan High also at 10:00. And 27 teams have already signed up to participate from all over the state. So, there's a lot of fun things going on with our unified students and I'm um happy that our district supports them and and they support they represent us well. Um we spend a great deal of our time once the legislature starts. That's kind of what the board is focused on a great deal of the time. So, we spend time up at the capital talking to our legislators. First, I'd like to um say thank you to our student groups
288who presented at the USBA celebration of public public education. That was last Wednesday up at the Capitol. And we had some awesome displays and we had wonderful conversations. The students were excellent at explaining the programs and how the programs that we're offering are a benefit of their public education um being in a public education and the opportunities that they have. The groups we had was CSDTV, we had peer court, the Jordan Valley BTS art program, the innovation center, and the drone program at Alta with with the Alta students. And it was amazing. Um, I just thought you might find this interesting. As of last week, and I know it's more now, there were 555 numbered bills and 48 resolutions that have already been presented. 555. Not all of them are education, but that's an awful
289lot of bills. Probably 200, maybe 300 of those are education. Um, we did have Dr. McKay present to the public ed appropriations committee. He um told talked about our technological advisory committee that we created, our Canyons Tekken committee and our three strike protocol. And they were very impressed because that's one of the bills that they're talking about. And then um House Bill um partisan elections. We're concerned because they would like to make school I find this interesting. They want the state school board to be partisan. So they want to change that but now they want us who are partisan to be to be not oh nonpartisan to be partisan. Yes. I got forgot the nonp part. Um, I just find it really interesting that we we we feel that schools work best when we're focused
290on our students and we don't want to have to be tied to or worried about party labels. You can't represent your community when half might be Democratic and half might be Republican. How are you going to come to a consensus that's best for your constituency? So, if you have any opportunity to write your legislator and say that's the stupidest idea I've ever heard of and tell them why, we would love to have your help. Um, and we've all talked about Senate Bill um 65. I think making it simple is this way. Um, okay, it's still going through the committees, but anyway, why the sponsor will not like this, it is true. This is effectively the creation of a statewide property tax, shifting the local school property tax to a state property tax. Because the legislature
291could not get a constitutional amendment change to allow income tax to be spent for more purposes than education, they've devised Senate Bill 65 to take from the local school funds and put those funds in the general fund, replacing it with income tax. And yes, it's comp complicated. This is money laundering. So when the legislature says, "Look, we've cut income taxes," the reality is they are simply shifting money around and creating a whole new state property tax. Please write your legislators and say that we definitely are concerned about them continually pilfering from the property taxes that support education. And I don't think that 50 bucks we get a year every time they reduce it benefits as much as having that money there and fully funding our educational programs. And that's it. >> Okay. Thank you, Mrs.
292Dolly. >> Thank you. to that point. Thank you to our external relations team that works tire tire tirelessly up on the um at the capital during this legislative session and and help to make bills better and really advocating for our students to make sure they have adequate funding and that the the bills are supporting and not hurting what we're trying to do here. Uh I want to say congratulations to Brighton Hockey who made it to the state championships for our ice hockey team. We don't talk about them as much because they're a club sport, but um it was awesome to get there out of the the many teams that we have in the state that play that. And uh three days late, but happy school board appreciation month to my fellow school school board members.
293I'm grateful to be able to work with them um day in and day out on as we work to solve some some difficult issues. I want to comment to uh a comment that was brought up multiple times uh regarding uh Mrs. Person's uh ethics violation which was not actually a violation. This was reported to the state board of ethics and it was came back to have found of no merit. Now we take this very seriously as far as conflict of interest and having integrity. This is also the reason why we have three board members on every subcommittee meeting. So one board member has does not have in undue influence on anything. I found board member Peterson to have utmost integrity in all the decisions that um are being made. In fact, she gets accused by
294the Willow Canyon community for not standing up for them. So, I just wanted to speak to that um as we're putting things on the record regarding that. And then lastly, I know there's a lot of discussion and people are like, why do we have to close two or however many schools? If we look at our number of elementary students right now, we have 11,000 students in the district. If we try to get to what our average we want of three to four classes per grade, that's an average of 500 students per school. If you divide that out, we should be at 22 elementary schools. In the fall, this next fall, we will be at 27 elementary schools. We are also seeing last summer, we lost an equivalent of an entire elementary school worth of students.
295We're projected to lose as many this next summer. These are the issues that we're really facing and that we have to make these hard decisions related to special programs related to school closures. Um, but I want to thank everybody for coming tonight and sharing and we appreciate having our passionate community and they help us to make uh better decisions regarding these things. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Oaks. >> Um, I want to reiterate so many of the comments that have been shared tonight. Um, I appreciated the USBA day on the hill. Meeting with our legislators is is important. And um, I got to attend an SEC meeting yesterday at Indian Hills Middle School. was awesome. Um, the Carter Canyon and Alta High School Battle of the Bands is like a highlight of the
296year. Those are a lot of fun. Um, and I want to congratulate McKay uh Robinson who um presented up at the legislature a couple of weeks ago on all of the efforts that we've made to keep kids safe online and to be responsive to parent concerns about that. Um, I just want to point out that sometimes certain issues have burned really hot in the past and we have staff and um, faculty that scramble and work really hard to address that and they're doing so much work behind the scenes and you stop hearing about it after a while. And the reason you stop hearing about it is because they are doing an enormous amount of work that people don't see and are not aware of. And I just want to thank him for that. Um what
297our district's IT department is doing is is stellar. It it it could be an example for the rest of the state and I'm a little nervous about some of the proposed bills where they want to hand that over to the state school board. I guarantee it will not be done as well. Guarantee it. So anyway, I just my hats off to him. He did a phenomenal job. to the point of what we're talking about. Um, is it SB65? It's SP, not HP. It's SP65. It is money laundering. Period. And anyone who is interested in understanding more really ought to look up um, Auditor Tina Cannon, who I think personally is a rock star. This woman has really stuck her neck out, and some of the things she's finding have been highly inconvenient for some of
298those up at the legislature. But it's important and I would recommend that everyone go on to transparent.utah.gov and start poking around because she is posting all of that information on there and it's very insightful. So, um I'm a big believer in transparency to the point of what Sally was saying. We agree like I we are hearing you. I know that I don't have board members that are biased in this. We go back and forth. We talk about like what about this? What about this? We're looking at so many things. None of these solutions are easy. To that point, with regard to our Lone Peak parents, I want to say that I am sorry that they have felt so blindsided. This did kind of come out of nowhere. We had one public meeting where it was
299discussed and all of a sudden they were getting emails and I am looking forward to tomorrow's discussion um with their school community. as I expressed to them before the meeting, I care about DI. All five of my children have participated in Chinese DI and there um it's a very valuable program and I can understand why they are so vested. So I think there's more conversations to be had and thank you again for all of you parents who come. Your kids are really lucky to have you. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Edel. >> I yield my time to being done. >> Thank you, Mr. Lewis. >> As do I. Thank you. Thank you. I was so excited because I forgot you guys had to talk and I was like, we're still on time anyway. So, thank
300you. Um, I'm just want to say one thing. I appreciate all the comments. Um, I want to say thank you to Susan, Charlie, Brooke, and and Henry. That is our team up at the legislature. They're amazing and they work tirelessly for us. And then also I was able to attend Ridgerest school community council meeting um last week and I just really appreciate Rididgerest the PTA the school community council. They had an open house and I know like several teachers were there and just welcoming the Bella Vista community to come see the school and I heard it was just a really great event. The kids ended up being really happy and excited to see their new school. So just want to thank um Ridgerest for doing that. And now I will It is 9:59. I will
301call this meeting to a close. Thank you.