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Report from December 2, 2008
Action
School Boundary Changes
The Board of Education reviewed and approved some boundary changes for the 2009-2010 school year. The first changes are small adjustments to the high school boundaries. The high school boundary changes have been studied for several months and were the focus of a series of open houses. The public was invited to comment and raise any concerns. Assistant Superintendent Dorothy Cosgrove reported the district has received zero comments or concerns about the changes.
The second boundary change altered the middle school feeder system so Franklin Elementary School students attend Bryant Middle School. This change was first implemented last year with the expansion of Glendale Middle School to handle grades six through eight. The Board voted to make the change permanent.
Consent Agenda
The Board of Education reviewed and approved the consent agenda, consisting of the Purchasing/Accounting Report, the Human Resources Department Report; minutes for the Board meetings held on November 4, and 18, 2008; the Board Meeting Schedule for 2009-2010; a list of approved Foreign Exchange Student Agencies; and revisions to Policies P-4 and P-5.
Discussions
Policy Revisions
The Board of Education reviewed changes proposed to several policies. Policy G-10, Safe, Secure, and Efficient Facilities, would be rewritten to consolidate several policies, including G-11, G-12, G-13 and G-15. Superintendent McKell Withers said G-10 could be clarified even further by taking some of the information and putting it in the administrative procedures attached to the policy. Board members agreed to have the Board Policy Subcommittee review the policy again and bring it back at a future Board meeting.
Changes to Policy G-16, Naming or Renaming Facilities, would include adding a purpose statement and minor wording changes. Policy G-17, Architect Selection, would be deleted because the processing of selecting an architect is covered in another policy. Board members agreed to place these changes on the consent agenda for a future Board meeting.
Reports
School Improvement Report
Principal Earl Arnoldson reported on the school improvement efforts at North Star Elementary School. He focused on two programs designed to increase student achievement. The first is Star Tutoring, a program where volunteers work one-on-one with students. The second is cross-age tutoring, a program where older students read with younger students. Arnoldson said it’s not just buddy reading. The older students are trained to help the younger student with common reading and pronunciation problems.
Superintendent's Report
Superintendent McKell Withers reported to the Board of Education on several issues.
- He gave Board members a list of education-related bills proposed for the upcoming legislative session. He said there are currently fewer education bills than compared to previous years. Some of the bills will be tracked very carefully because they would change the funding sources for public education. Business administrators from several districts will be meeting study three specific funding bills.
- Dr. Withers reported that he does not expect to see any action on No Child Left Behind legislation in the next few months. He expects any action on public education at the federal level will likely wait until the new administration takes office.
- The slumping economy and the state budget continue to be areas of concern. The predictions of how much money may be cut from education are swirling, and lawmakers are considering another Special Session this month to discuss and deal with the continuing decreases in tax revenues.
Other Items
Recognition
The Board of Education awarded an honorary diploma to Robert Dean Jeffs. Jeffs is a veteran of World War II and was called to active duty before he could finish his education at South High School.
The Board also recognized and honored Board member Cliff Higbee for his many years of service to the Board of Education. Higbee has served on the Salt Lake City Board of Education since 1995. He will be leaving at the end of December and a new Board member will take his seat.
