Board Report for December 3, 2024
The Board of Education met on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. You can watch the whole meeting on our YouTube channel, or click on each heading to jump straight to that report.
District Sustainability Project with Rocky Mountain Power
Representatives from Rocky Mountain Power praised the board and district for switching all school lights to energy-saving LED lights. This change is expected to save the district $700,000 each year.
The board recognized several employees and students for their achievements:
- The Nibley Park School K-2 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program was named a Spanish DLI Model School. This is the first time a Utah school has received this honor.
- The Salt Lake City Elementary Science Department was named the Outstanding Elementary Science Team 2024 by the Utah Science Teaching Association.
- Kristen Bonner from Indian Hills Elementary was awarded the Outstanding Elementary Science Teacher 2024 by the Utah Science Teaching Association.
- Penelope Pando (Ensign Elementary), Robert “Robbie” Reber (Indian Hills Elementary), and Nora Ramirez and Lily Francis (Wasatch Elementary) won the district Teller of Tales storytelling competition.
Legislative Audit Report Summary
A follow-up audit shows the district has made good progress on recommendations from the 2022 legislative audit. So far, the district has fully implemented 11 out of 15 recommendations. However, concerns remain about how shared governance can impact school schedules and student learning. The district and the board will review shared governance in the coming months.
West and Highland High School Options
The board approved site plans for rebuilding Highland and West High Schools:
- Highland High School: The new building will be on the north side of the property.
- West High School: Academic facilities will move to the east side of 300 West (where the track is now), while athletic facilities will shift to the west side. The historic main entrance will be preserved as part of the athletic facilities.
You can view the site layouts on our website: www.slcschools.org/board-of-education/2024-bond-proposal/recommended-options.
Board Policies and District Procedures
The board discussed several policies:
- B-1: Student Board Member Application Guidelines: The board is considering a rotating system so that the student board member comes from a different high school each year. The policy subcommittee will review and update this policy.
- I-5: School Day for Students: The board approved changes to ban early release days at high schools unless approved by the Superintendent. This aligns with a previous board decision about late-start schedules.
- G-5: District Reconfigurations and Long-Term School Closures: Updates will include a process for deciding the future use of closed schools and possible revisions to the closure process based on community feedback, which is currently being collected.
Board Orientation Presentation
Board leaders outlined topics for orientation sessions for new board members.
The board discussed a recommendation to make esports an official high school activity. The Utah High School Activities Association has already approved esports starting in the 2025-26 school year. The board will review financial details and discuss the proposal at a future meeting.