The Board met in Study Session to discuss ways to bring together existing goals and tenets into a statement that will remain at the forefront of their work. The Board’s current mission is to prepare all students for college and careers; its guiding tenets are: student achievement, innovation, community engagement, and customer service. The Board also discussed possible ways to measure progress toward Board goals through tools including the superintendent’s evaluation. The Board also favored collaborating with the Utah School Boards Association about such a measurement tool that could be piloted in CSD.
Individual Board members also expressed additional ideas for discussion during the upcoming year. Clareen Arnold suggested simplifying and better communicating to teachers the expectations of the Canyons Teacher Effectiveness Support System (CTESS), particularly the implementation of IPOP observation tool used to evaluate teachers. She said she’s heard from teachers who say they don’t have enough information about CTESS expectations.
Chad Iverson expressed concerns about students taking the SAGE seriously. Board Second Vice President Nancy Tingey said the concerns are shared statewide, and noted that CSD could focus on teaching students to always do their best.
Robert Green said he is most interested in science instruction and achievement and professional development on education technology.
Amber Shill said the Board should continue to work on culture of the District, and questioned whether the Board should lead teachers from the top down, or the grassroots up, or collaborative model. Iverson suggested focusing on outcomes. Tingey said it’s a balance to provide meaningful support for teachers. Shill also wants to ensure the Board is working on the mission and vision statement and measurable goals.
Tingey suggested writing an official history of the District, to be penned by a third party. She suggested placing an RSS feed service on individual school websites to better communicate to the public School Community Council agendas and minutes. She also suggested creating an accountability system for disciplines that are not measured by standardized testing, such as compliance with state statute, world language acquisition, or arts, to look comprehensively at the educational experience and highlight great things happening in schools.
Vice President Steve Wrigley has been focusing on creating a positive district culture and thanked the Board for efforts to cultivate it. He challenged the Board to seek master board certification. He also believes it’s important to include citizenship-ready or life-ready to the mission statement, and ensure students are prepared in skills that may fall outside of the core curriculum. He expressed a desire to balance enrollments in schools. He said he wants to engage in strategic planning and look into the Baldridge Performance Excellence Program.
President Sherril Taylor agreed with Green, that science should be addressed right away. He expressed a desire to balance high school enrollments and support efforts to make Alta High School a draw for students.
Superintendent Dr. Briscoe asked the Board to prioritize their list so he and the Administration can address the top priorities first.
