Board Meeting Report - June 4, 2024
The Board of Education of Salt Lake City School District met on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. You can watch the meeting on the district’s YouTube channel.
Recognitions
The board honored employees who are retiring this year. Their combined years of service is well over 300 years! The board also recognized Mary Lou Oland-Wong for being named a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
School Closure and Boundary Adjustment Transition Activities Update
Hawthorne Elementary, M. Lynn Bennion Elementary, Mary W. Jackson Elementary, and Riley Elementary held end-of-year celebrations with their communities and alumni to commemorate their schools and thank teachers, staff, and families. Schools welcoming new students next year invited students and their families to open houses and other events to get to know their new schools. Each Hawthorne, Bennion, Mary W. Jackson, and Riley student also received a copy of a photo of the entire student body and staff. You can view those photos on our district website.
Inclusive Schools Resolution Annual Report
In 2020, the board passed the Inclusive Schools Resolution to make sure our schools promote equitable academic outcomes and inclusive learning environments for every student. Creating inclusive learning environments is critical to ensuring fewer students are at risk for experiencing segregation and its potentially devastating effects on learning. Inclusive education benefits not only students with disabilities but also their general education peers. The board receives an annual report on the work the district is doing to fulfill that resolution. You can watch the entire report on our YouTube channel.
2024-25 Weapon Detection System Staffing Contract
The board is considering whether to extend the contract for personnel to operate weapons detectors at our three comprehensive high schools (East, Highland, and West High Schools) and at Horizonte Instruction and Training Center. The district estimates it would cost about $1.5 million to extend the contract for next year, which would provide 34 personnel to run the detectors. The board asked the district to procure additional information on the effectiveness of the weapons detectors, and they will consider this topic in a future meeting.
You can watch the entire discussion on our YouTube channel.
Sustainability Phase 2025
As part of our commitment to sustainability, the board and district have set some lofty goals in our Sustainability Resolution:
- to use 100% clean, renewable energy in our electricity sector by 2030, and
- to meet 100% of district energy needs with carbon neutral energy by 2040.
The district partnered with McKinstry to develop a plan. The first phase is complete.
The next phase (Phase 2025) would cost about $7.7 million dollars and is estimated to save the district about $360,000 annually in energy costs. It includes:
- adding solar panels at seven more schools and the district Transportation building,
- completing projects at 35 schools to increase energy efficiency, and
- an education component for students. Students can study the benefits of the changes made by the district and learn about STEM careers in related fields.
When Phase 2025 is complete, 23% of our electrical power will come from renewable energy sources, and 32% of our energy use will be carbon neutral.
The board voted to move forward with the project, with financing through a combination of a Tax-Exempt Lease Purchase (a loan) and plans to seek out grant funding. You can watch the entire discussion on our YouTube channel.
Budget Hearing and Vote
Board members approved the 2024-25 Annual Budget, the 2023-24 revised budget, and the 2024-25 tax rate. The board will not be raising taxes for the 2024-25 school year. Homeowners should see a small decrease in the portion of property taxes they pay to the district if the value of their homes has not increased over the past year.