Board Report - July 9, 2024

The Board of Education of Salt Lake City School District met on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. You can watch the entire meeting on our YouTube channel.

Bonding Discussion and Timeline

The board is exploring a bond proposal that could finance needed school construction projects, including:

• rebuilding West High School (built in the early 1900s) and Highland High School (built in the 1950s). Both schools need to be rebuilt to match our 21st century vision of education and to provide the safety and supports needed in our modern era.
• constructing a field house at East High School so that all our comprehensive high schools have first-rate facilities, and
• implementing energy sustainability upgrades at other district schools.

It's important to note that bond funds may only be used for capital projects related to buildings and facilities and cannot be used to pay for teacher salaries, classroom materials, or other educational expenses.

A team of legal and financial advisors reviewed a potential timeline for holding a bond election this November. If the board decides to proceed, a bond resolution would need to be approved by August. This resolution would specify the amount of money being sought and its intended uses. After that, the district would work to inform the community about the bond.

The board will discuss this again during at their August 6 meeting. The entire discussion about the bond proposal can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

2024-25 Weapon Detection System Staffing Contract

The contract to provide staff to operate the weapon detection systems at East, Highland, and West High Schools, as well as Horizonte Instruction and Training Center, expired at the end of the 2023-24 school year. After discussion, the board decided not to extend the contract for another year.

Debriefing after Board Professional Development Conferences

Each year, board members attend conferences, webinars, and other meetings to discuss issues and share solutions with colleagues from across the state and country. Board members are looking to implement systems to better help them share their learning with each other.

This entire discussion can be viewed on our YouTube channel.