United Way Proposes Partnership
United Way of Salt Lake executives proposed a partnership in Midvale elementary schools to help students succeed. Presenting were: Deborah Bayle, President and CEO of United Way Salt Lake; Bill Crim, Senior Vice President of Collective Impact and Public Policy; and Board of Directors Chairman Allen Alexander, who also is Chairman and CEO of Savage, which is located in Midvale. The partnership would seek to further community goals and align efforts of the school district and nonprofit organization to improve services to students in need. The partnership would require sharing of student data. The United Way executives said parents in other partnering school districts gave written consent to share student data with United Way and partnering agencies to comply with federal privacy laws. The proposal will be placed on a future Board agenda for further discussion.
To listen to the discussion, please visit BoardDocs and click Agenda Item 2A.
Secondary Health Text Discussed
Interim Superintendent Ginger Rhode updated the Board on the process to approve new health texts for middle and high school students. A District ad hoc committee of about 30 parents and educators has been reviewing proposed materials, which also have been provided to high schools’ School Community Councils for feedback. An additional step is to provide review and receive feedback from Canyons parents, Dr. Rhode said. Public feedback will be brought to the Board for further discussion.
Current secondary health texts, which are the same for middle and high school students, would be replaced to provide a consistent and systematic progression of curriculum in grades 8-12 as required by law. The review and selection of appropriate health materials are governed by state law and District policy. Utah law requires parents to opt-in to human sexuality instruction. More than 99 percent of Canyons parents opt into the instruction, which is abstinence-only in Canyons.
To listen to the discussion or review related state regulations and documents, please visit BoardDocs and click Agenda Item 2B.
Educator Evaluation System Update
Dr. Hollie Pettersson, Director of Evidence-Based Learning in Secondary Schools, provided an update on the work of principals, District academic staff, and the Joint Educator Evaluation Committee to create a new educator evaluation tool as required by law. Accomplishments include:
– Commitment to principles:
o Support new teachers and encourage growth for all educators
o Ensure that mentoring/coaching for a provisional teacher offers multiple opportunities for public practice, feedback, and self-reflection
o Use multiple measures to make conclusions about teachers’ potential to be effective throughout their careers
o Recognize the importance of teachers’ willingness to apply feedback by incorporating the development of improvement strategies in the district’s educator effectiveness processes.
– Informing teachers of the upcoming evaluation system, which will replace JPAS
– Starting a piloting process for Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in social studies, arts and Career and Technical Education with the Utah State Office of Education. SLOs are measurable indicators of student performance for teachers of subjects that are not measured by state standardized tests.
Dr. Pettersson explained the law’s requirements. She said the evaluation system must include the following: student learning and growth; professional performance, and stakeholder input. She detailed how the state measures student learning and growth. Dr. Pettersson will continue the presentation in a future meeting.
To listen to the presentation, please visit BoardDocs and click Agenda Item 2C.
Board Action
The Board approved the Consent Agenda, which includes the Feb. 4, 2014 Minutes; Purchasing Bids; Home School Affidavit; January Financial Statements; January Hire and Termination Reports; and the MOU with the Canyons Education Foundation. The Board also approved Student Overnight Travel for the following high school groups: Alta Band/Orchestra; Corner Canyon Track and Field; Jordan Baseball; Canyons District HOSA groups.
The Board approved the 2014 Salt Lake County Facility Usage Interlocal Agreements.
Students, Teacher Achievements Recognized
The Board recognized the achievements of the following employees and students:
– Sarah Carlson, Brighton High, Hope Street Group National Teacher Fellow
– Terry Howell, Butler Middle, Outstanding Biology Educator, Utah Science Teachers Association
– Caroleena Vidal, Draper Park Middle, Seventh-Grade Winner, Utah State Office of Education Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay and Video Contest
– Reilly Caten, Brighton High, Academic All-State, 5A Girls Cross Country
– Brighton High Girls Soccer, Ranked No. 10 in Nation, Max Preps
– Joseph P. Morrell, Hillcrest High, Perfect ACT Score
Interim Superintendent Report
Dr. Rhode attended the Sandy Chamber Peak Awards luncheon with the Canyons Education Foundation’s Chief Development Officer Allison Spencer and Partnerships Coordinator Laura Minson. She attended the Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States’ visit to Brighton High, and was inspired by her words. She said that the District has been interviewing administrators who may wish to work in CSD schools in the future.
Interim CFO Report
Interim CFO Leon Wilcox noted Board Member Kim Horiuchi attended the legislative committee meeting regarding SB91, which would have extended the equalization bill from 2016 to 2020. The bill did not make it out of committee. He noted Horiuchi testified against the bill. Horiuchi thanked Wilcox for compiling numbers and data to inform lawmakers about Canyons’ financial contribution to Jordan District under equalization. Wilcox noted that an appropriations subcommittee has forwarded a budget containing a 2.5 percent increase in the WPU. He called the increase a good start in the appropriations process.
Board Reports
Robert Green thanked the Board for approving the interlocal agreement with Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation to ensure facilities for recreation programs. He said the agency conducted a survey, available online, regarding services. He attended the agency’s meeting last week. He congratulated the three ACT aces at Hillcrest High School. He congratulated Midvale Middle students for their regional win at the MathCounts competition, and noted his father in-law supported MathCounts when he worked as a teacher. He also congratulated Midvale for their District Intramural Chess Championship, and thanked Reams Food Stores for donating $2,000 to the Souper Bowl of Caring drive to benefit students at the Road Home Overflow Shelter in Midvale.
Horiuchi congratulated Brighton and Butler students recognized at the meeting, as well as the Brighton Boys Swim Team on their sixth-consecutive 5A State Championship. She thanked the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center for their partnership with Canyons, which allowed students to swim at the facility. She attended the ambassador’s visit to Brighton, where the ambassador discussed the Holocaust and fall of the Berlin Wall. The ambassador discussed the need for tolerance and inclusion over extremism and isolationism, and noted that faith and conscience shape policy for good or bad. She said the ambassador’s visit was a great opportunity for well-prepared students and teacher Jim Hodges who oversees Model United Nations at Brighton to attract the ambassador to the school. The Model UN team is representing Bulgaria in competition this year. Horiuchi also attended the Renaissance Feaste at Hillcrest High School, and congratulated teacher RaNae Dalgleish, who played Queen Elizabeth at the feaste, on a job well done. Horiuchi attended the Cottonwood Heights City Council meeting last week. She said the council is grateful for Canyons’ pursuit of a soccer field for Brighton High. She noted her testimony against SB91, and thanked patrons Linda Bullough and Kim Abbott for their support at the committee hearing. She noted Canyons has contributed more than its fair share to equalization, and that the law should sunset in 2016 as already determined by the Legislature.
Second Vice President Nancy Tingey said she enjoys attending events and interacting with students, which she says reinforces her confidence and hope in the future. She attended the Renaissance Feaste, which she called delightful, from the performances to the meal. She also joined Jordan High students on a tour of the Capitol, where Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City, spent time with the students and remembered one of the student’s questions from a past visit. The question was, “Can government make people be nice?” The question stayed with Sen. Robles, and with Tingey over the past week. Tingey enjoyed the ambassador’s visit, which she called powerful. She said attending teachers also intended to share the ambassador’s message with their students. Tingey congratulated the Brighton Boys Swim team on their championship, and thanked parents, administrators and teachers for their dedication to ensuring students have such opportunities in school.
Vice President Steve Wrigley said he and his wife attended the play, “The Giver,” at Alta High, which he said was great. He visited Edgemont Elementary, and talked with fifth-graders about the school board as a form of local government in their government class. He said that he hopes to address elective teachers in the budget. He praised Professional Learning Communities in secondary schools, and suggested examining PLCs in elementary schools districtwide.
Tracy Cowdell talked about a national study “Civility in America,” which looks at people’s attitudes toward civility. The report concluded incivility is ubiquitous, harmful to the nation, has become the new normal, and is fueled by the Internet. He read findings including: Respondents said they encounter civility twice a day; half have ended a relationship over incivility; 24 percent have personally experienced cyberbullying; and 19 percent have transferred their child to another school due to incivility. He also noted 95 percent of respondents said they believe there is a civility problem in America, and 80 percent believe it won’t improve until government leaders act more civilly. He noted it’s important to ensure our places of education are safe harbors, where people can go without fear of bullying or intolerant perspectives. He noted civility has been good in Board meetings over the past year, and hopes that can continue. To view the study, visit BoardDocs and click Agenda Item 10.
Chad Iverson thanked Cowdell for sharing the civility information. He attended the Canyons Education Foundation Board meeting, and noted Foundation Board members are excited to sign the MOU and work more closely with the Board of Education.
Sherril Taylor thanked all those attending the meeting. He thanked teachers and education support professionals for their hard work, and said the Board acknowledges their importance to students. He said often, educators might go home frustrated that they didn’t accomplish all they wanted to that day, but said they’re all doing a great job and their work on behalf of students is appreciated, and that the Board is proud of them.
