Board Meeting Report - September 6, 2022

The Salt Lake City School District Board of Education held its public meeting on Tuesday, September 2, 2022. The full Board Meeting can be viewed on the district YouTube Channel.

The meeting began with three awards given to our schools and district.

• East High School and West High School earned sportsmanship awards from the Utah High School Activities Association.
• The district’s Transportation Department received two awards, The Green Bus Summit Fleet Award and the 2021 Electric Fleet School District of the Year.

The Board heard three reports from district staff.

• The start of school this year was a success, but there is still work to do. Along with the excitement of students coming back to school, many schools and departments say they still need to hire more employees, especially Child Nutrition workers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, special education teachers, and substitute teachers.  
• A quarterly update on how the district is utilizing ESSER funds shows the district has recently used the money to support student learning through summer school and teacher training. ESSER is federal money provided to schools to help overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Board heard a report on this week’s feasibility study information meetings at Highland High School and West High School. The meetings were held on September 7 and 8 and can be viewed on the district YouTube Channel.

There were four items on the Discussion Agenda. Two of the items were moved to Action and approved by the Board of Education.

• In response to requests from our high school principals, Human Resource Services proposed creating three new Campus Safety Coordinator positions to assist in safety efforts at our high schools. The Board of Education moved this item to Action and approved it unanimously.
• The Board heard suggestions from the student board member on how to improve communication between the Board and students, with the goal to inform students on how Board decisions are made and how those decisions can affect students.
• The Board reviewed potential changes to student fees. The biggest change would allow higher fees for overnight trips, so students don’t have to share beds. The Board will hold public hearings on proposed changes to its student fees during Board Meetings on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, and Tuesday, October 4, 2022.
• Our Information Technology Department gave the Board of Education an estimate on how much it would cost to provide a computer or tablet for every student. The estimate included costs for support staff and providing Internet access for students. The Board of Education moved this item to Action and approved it unanimously.