Board Meeting Report - May 21, 2024
The Board of Education of Salt Lake City School District (the Board) met on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. You can watch the meeting on our YouTube channel.
Recognition and Student Performance
The Board meeting began on a festive note with a performance by the Riley Elementary School Mariachi Band. Music teachers Abbie Trevino and Callie Wilhoit direct the 5th grade students. They practice twice a week and are known to walk the halls of Riley serenading students in their classrooms.
Board members offered their heartfelt thanks to this year’s Student Board member Jaziayah Evans. They thanked her for her service to the Board and for speaking for students on many issues.
School Closure and Boundary Adjustment Transition Updates
With the school year nearing its end, Superintendent Elizabeth Grant shouted out to the leaders, teachers, and staff at the four schools that will be closing at the end of the year. They have been doing the challenging work of finishing this year strong while also finding ways to memorialize their schools. Each of the four schools has held or will soon hold community celebrations to remember how the school leaders, teachers, and staff have provided service to their communities. Dr. Grant also repeated her plan to make sure the closed schools are well cared for. There will be custodians assigned to each school, and the schools will serve as office space for certain district departments and their teams. This will prevent the buildings from sitting empty while we work on long-term plans for each site.
Final Budget Review
Having presented different parts of the budget in previous Board meetings, Business Administrator Alan Kearsley concluded his series of presentations with a report on Special Revenue Funds. These are funds that are required to be reported separately.
- Child Nutrition Fund – This fund represents the money used to run school meals programs, which comes from the federal government, not local tax money. Mr. Kearsley reported that there will be no increase in school lunch prices for next year.
- Student Activities Fund – The money in this fund comes from student fees, fundraisers, donations, and tickets to school events and is then used mostly for supplies and materials for student activities and organizations.
- Pass-Though Taxes Fund – This fund accounts for tax money that is collected by the district but then passed to other organizations. Mr. Kearsley said an example is the Charter School Levy. Charter schools don’t have the authority to collect taxes. All school districts in the state collect property taxes but then send a portion of that money to the state to fund charter schools. Tax funds are also diverted to the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency and other agencies that use tax increment financing to fund certain development projects.
- Salt Lake Education Foundation Fund – This fund tracks the donations to, and money spent by the Salt Lake Education Foundation.
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the Board will hold a Budget Hearing to give the public a chance to provide comments on the district’s budget. After that hearing, the Board is scheduled to vote on the district’s annual budget. Those wishing to speak at the Budget Hearing do NOT need to sign up ahead of time but should be in attendance at the meeting. The Budget Hearing will begin at 7:00 PM in the Board Room at the District Administration Building (465 S. 400 E., Suite 300, Salt Lake City, UT 84111).
Demographics Report and Viability of an Additional Comprehensive High School
Since starting as superintendent, Dr. Grant said she has heard from interested community members about the possibility of building a comprehensive high school west of I-15 in Salt Lake City. To help answer the question, the district hired Applied Economics to conduct a thorough review of the changing demographics of the city and to produce an enrollment projection report (you can find that report on our website). Additionally, our Executive Director of Auxiliary Services has been looking for land to build a comprehensive high school.
Rick Brammer, the principal at Applied Economics, presented the enrollment report and said while the enrollment declines we have seen so far have been mostly in the elementary schools, over the next 5-10 years those declines will also be seen in our high schools. The report projects a loss of approximately 700 high school students in the next 10 years.
Issac Astill reported that he searched west of I-15 for a plot of land where the district could build a new comprehensive high school but has not found one. He sought a plot of about 30 acres, enough land to house a high school, its parking lots, athletic fields, and other needs. He talked with city, county, and state planners and leaders. However, available land is not big enough, has already been developed, or will soon be used for another purpose.
Dr. Grant expressed thanks to those who met with her or sent her information advocating for a new high school west of I-15. She wants them to know that the district has heard them and understands their concerns, but right now we don’t see a way forward on this issue. However, the concerns she has heard will spur the district to look at the changes we can make in our schools to make sure all students, no matter where they live in our district, feel welcome and are successful.
Delegate Assembly Priorities
Each year, education leaders from across the state come together to meet and discuss the issues they think are the most important for public education and should be shared with lawmakers and other state leaders. This meeting is called the Delegate Assembly and includes representatives from the Utah School Boards Association, the Utah School Superintendents Association, and the Utah Association of School Business Officials. In anticipation of the upcoming Delegate Assembly, Board member Bryan Jensen, who is one of our district’s representatives in that group, reviewed the agenda, proposed legislative priorities, and other issues that are scheduled to be discussed at the meeting.
Board Retreat Study Topics
The Board President and Vice President, Nate Salazar and Bryce Williams, handed out a ranked list of possible topics for the upcoming Board Retreat, a meeting designed to allow the Board to study important issues and to set a framework for how to review and possibly take action on such issues during the coming year. As Board members reviewed this list, they agreed that some items could be set as reports during future Board meetings, but at the retreat, they want to focus on reviewing Board goals and priorities and discussing the possibility of bonding to fund future school construction projects.
The Board Retreat is a public meeting and is scheduled for Monday, June 24, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM. It will be held in the Board Room at the District Administration Building.