District Newsletter – April 13, 2023
Dear Salt Lake City School District families and community,
As you may know, we are currently in the middle of a Population and Boundary Study of ALL district elementary schools, divided by quadrants, for possible boundary realignment or school closure. Our Director of Boundaries and Planning is currently making time to attend school community council meetings at every elementary school to present information about this study and to gather feedback from all corners of our district. This feedback will be shared with the Board of Education and is crucial to the boundary study process.
To make sure we hear from as many community members as possible, we will also be holding four community meetings to discuss the Population and Boundary Study. All community members – whether or not they are district patrons – are invited to attend. Here are the meeting dates and locations:
- Thursday, April 27, 5:30 p.m.
Glendale Library (1375 Concord St., SLC, UT) - Wednesday, May 3, 5:30 p.m.
Northwest Middle School (1730 W. 1700 N., SLC, UT) - Tuesday, May 23, 5:30 p.m.
Salt Lake City Main Library (210 E. 400 S., SLC, UT) - Thursday, May 25, 5:30 p.m.
Clayton Middle School (1470 S. 1900 E., SLC, UT)
Your input and feedback are a necessary part of this process. Please make time to attend one of these meetings if you are able. If you can’t attend, you can find more information and a feedback form on the district website: https://www.slcschools.org/departments/information-technology/boundaries-and-planning/population-and-boundary-study.
Thank you in advance for your considerate participation as we continue to study this complex but important issue.
Sincerely,
Martin W. Bates, Ph.D.
Interim Superintendent
Salt Lake City School District
NEW NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
Congratulations to Board of Education member Kristi Swett, who just began her term as President of The National School Boards Association (NSBA). Having one of our own Board members serve in this role is incredibly prestigious, and we are proud to have our district represented at this national level. Ms. Swett assumed her role as NSBA President earlier this month at the NSBA national conference. She told conference attendees that her areas of focus for NSBA in the coming year will be increasing student voice on the national level; greater reliance on the crucial work of the equity councils; hopefully convening the association’s first ever rural summit; building a stronger nonpartisan advocacy agenda; and continuing to support all of her colleagues across the country in the great work of education. Congratulations to President Swett!
SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH UPDATE
The Board of Education is in the middle of its search for a new superintendent for our district. The application deadline closed at the end of March, and we were thrilled to have 16 highly qualified candidates. Over the last few weeks, Board members, along with members of the appointed stakeholder committee, have dedicated hours to closely examining and evaluating each application. Members of the stakeholder committee provided their feedback to the Board of Education. Next, Board members will determine who to interview and will then conduct those interviews. The Board hopes to appoint a new superintendent in May. This person would assume their role no later than July 1, 2023.
DISTRICT SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
In celebration of Earth Week (April 16-22) and Earth Day on April 22, we are excited to update you on the district’s effort to meet our sustainability goals, as set forth in our Sustainability Resolution, which was adopted by the Board of Education in June 2020. The two primary goals of the resolution are:
1. To use 100% clean, renewable energy in our electricity sector by 2030; and
2. To meet 100% of all district operations energy needs with carbon neutral energy by 2040.
We have good reasons to celebrate. The district has created a Sustainability Action Plan and has been making excellent progress towards its goals.
- LED lighting retrofits at 34 schools and three additional district buildings - The lighting retrofit work is over 65% complete, with 22 schools either complete or nearing completion. This major undertaking will convert all lighting throughout the district to efficient LED lighting while adding dimming controls in classrooms and office areas. Annually, this retrofit is expected to save $600,000 in addition to improving the learning environment and reducing energy usage by 6 million kilowatt-hours.
- Solar panel installations at six elementary schools - A full Megawatt of solar photovoltaic panels (2,500 panels) are now on the rooftops of six elementary schools, with three systems fully installed and three more in final assembly. Annual production is expected to be 1.4 million kWh, saving $96,000 each year and reducing carbon-related emissions by 1,000 metric tons.
- Water conservation measures at all district buildings - Water conservation measures have been implemented at all district schools. Bathroom faucets, toilets and urinals now use 40% less water. This is expected to reduce annual consumption of culinary water by 12 million gallons, reducing our water and sewer costs by $120,000 annually.
AT-HOME LEARNING DAY
Friday, April 21, is an at-home learning day for our students while teachers attend required professional development sessions. On this day, all students in the district will learn at home. Teachers will provide learning tasks and materials to students in advance.
Please note that we will not be serving school meals to students on Friday, April 21. Additionally, the federal waivers, which previously allowed students the ability to eat school meals at home, have expired, which means we are unable to provide grab-and-go meals like we’ve been able to provide in the past.
Families will be able to access the community pantries at the three district community learning centers, which are open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. The pantries are made possible through the Salt Lake Education Foundation and its supporters, which have stocked these pantries in the effort to address student food insecurity.
Community Pantry Locations:
Glendale Community Learning Center
1388 South Navajo Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
Liberty Elementary Community Learning Center
1078 South 300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Rose Park Community Learning Center
1105 West 1000 North
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Additionally, the following schools maintain school-based pantries for families of students at these schools:
- SLCSE- Bryant Middle School
- East High School
- Escalante Elementary School
- Highland High School
- Horizonte Instruction and Training Center
- Meadowlark Elementary
- Newman Elementary
- Northwest Middle School
- Riley Elementary
- Salt Lake Center for Science Education
- West High School
If your student attends one of these schools, and you need access to the school pantry, please contact your school principal, who will be happy to assist you.
SUMMER SCHOOL REGISTRATION
Registration is now open for summer school! Our district offers a variety of summer learning programs. There are academic and enrichment programs for elementary and middle school students and credit recovery programs for high school students. To learn more and to register online, visit our Community Education webpage. But hurry; space is filling up fast, and registration ends on May 5, 2023.
EARLY CHILDHOOD REGISTRATION
Do you want your child to get a jump start on learning? Pre-registration for our 2023-24 early childhood classes started this week. We offer programs that are developmentally and culturally appropriate, and specifically designed to meet the needs of young children. We have programs for children from ages 0 to 4. You can find information about our PreK 3 classes, PreK 4 classes, and our options for younger children on our website - https://www.slcschools.org/departments/early-childhood.
FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN
For the past 15 years, Salt Lake City School District has provided full-day kindergarten options at every elementary school in the district. This year, thanks to a new law passed during the 2023 legislative session, every other school district in the state will also offer this option to families. We are thrilled to see the expansion of this opportunity for Utah’s kindergartners and want to remind our families that, as a district, we remain committed to continuing our 15-year tradition of offering full-day kindergarten classes at every elementary school. Please contact your home school’s main office for details on kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year.