Note: To listen to the Board’s discussion, please visit BoardDocs and select the agenda item of interest.

Superintendent Search Discussed

The Board established a committee of three members to discuss criteria for the search for the new superintendent. The committee will present information about its discussions to the full Board on June 18. The results of the committee’s work is intended to be used to draft an RFP for a search firm, be it a quasi-public agency such as the Utah School Boards Association, or a private firm. The Board also will examine information contained similar RFPs nationwide, and seek input from parents and employees in the search process. Board President Sherril Taylor, in response to input he has received, said he would like the search to be national in scope, but noted Canyons also has a great local talent pool from which to choose a new superintendent.

“We want to send the message that we take this very seriously, and we want to get the best person for the job,” Taylor said.

Committee members are Second Vice President Nancy Tingey, as well as Board Members Kim Horiuchi and Tracy Scott Cowdell, who were members of the Board during the inaugural superintendent search in 2008.

Administrative Appointments Announced

The following professionals have accepted new administrative roles in Canyons District schools, effective July 1, 2013:

Julie Fielding, who has worked in the Evidence-Based Learning Department and as an Achievement Coach, will become Principal at Silver Mesa Elementary. She had been assigned to begin work this fall as an Assistant Principal at Midvale Middle, but instead will start her new position at Silver Mesa. She assumes the role previously held by Joy Sanford, who has resigned to accept an administrative position elsewhere.

Karen Medlin, who has served as Principal at Park Lane Elementary for eight years, will become Principal at Alta View Elementary. She replaces Todd Theobald, who has resigned to accept an administrative position elsewhere.

Kelly Tauteoli, an Assistant Principal at Midvale Middle, will become the new Principal at Park Lane Elementary. She replaces Karen Medlin, who is moving to Alta View. Tauteoli previously had been assigned to serve as an Assistant Principal at Albion Middle for the coming year, but instead will move to Park Lane.

Cathy Schino, the Achievement Coach at Peruvian Park Elementary, will become an Assistant Principal at Midvale Middle. She replaces Julie Fielding, who will move to Silver Mesa.

Cami Lloyd, an art teacher and new-teacher mentor at Union Middle who also has served an administrative internship at Jordan High, will become an Assistant Principal at Albion Middle. Lloyd takes the role that previously had been extended to Kelly Tauteoli, who is moving to Park Lane.

Brenda McCann, an administrative intern at Hillcrest High, will become an Assistant Principal at Brighton High. McCann replaces Tom Gatten, who has resigned to take an administrative position elsewhere.

Kelcey Kemp, an administrative intern at Jordan High, will become an Assistant Principal at Hillcrest High. He assumes the role that previously had been extended to Justin Pitcher.

Justin Pitcher, who is now the Assistant Principal at Midvale Elementary, will become an Assistant Principal at Brighton High. He replaces Wyatt Bentley, who has resigned to take an administrative position elsewhere.

2013-2014 Tentative Budget Previewed

Chief Financial Officer Keith Bradford said the Tentative Annual Budget Report is posted on BoardDocs for the Board’s and public’s perusal. He said the District is awaiting the certified tax rates from Salt Lake County, based on assessed valuation and property values. He said that if numbers remain steady, the District’s assessed valuation may have increased for the first year in Canyons District history. He said he will present the tentative budget to the Board in the next meeting.

Board Governance Discussed

Tingey and Board Member Chad Iverson have been working to draft the roles and responsibilities of Board Members and Board Leadership, and will create a streamlined document to present to Board members for input. The document also will be posted on BoardDocs for public view.

Board Action

The Board approved the Consent Agenda, which includes the May 21 Meeting Minutes; Purchasing Bids; Administrative Appointments; Resolution to Purchase Brighton High School Adjacent Property; and the Sale Agreement for the Student-Built House. The Board also approved overnight travel for Alta Baseball, Boys and Girls Soccer, Theater and Wrestling; Corner Canyon High Drama and Theater 3; Hillcrest Student Body Officers; and Jordan and Brighton ASL. The Board also unanimously upheld the decision of the appeals committee in a student appeal.

Patron Comments

Wanda Amann, parent of a Hillcrest High student, expressed dismay with a school clerical error in recent years that resulted in another student’s information being sent in her daughter’s application to Harvard. She showed the Board a newspaper ad detailing the number of out-of-state and Ivy League colleges to which graduates of the West High International Baccalaureate Programme had been admitted, and requested the same information for Hillcrest graduates so she could decide whether to keep her son in the program.

Betty Shaw, President of the Region 17 PTA, said much had been accomplished in schools with volunteers this year. She said she looks forward to working with the District on efforts to implement grade reconfiguration and boundary changes this fall. She said the PTA supports the Board’s decisions, is happy to be part of a great school district, and looks forward to next school year.

Board Comments

Robert Green said he is ecstatic to speak at graduation Wednesday.

Horiuchi toured the Bengal Building at Brighton High last week, and was very impressed with the building and the guided tours provided by the student body officers. She noted the building will have lab space, classroom space, a dance room, weight room and other facilities for which the students have waited a long time, and thanked the Board for its leadership to see the project through. She also attended the year-end performance of the Brighton Choir, which she said was a crowd favorite at the state competition for their props (they wore chicken beaks and had a live chicken on stage) and sense of humor. She said she is looking forward to commencement exercises, and congratulated the Class of 2013 on their accomplishments.

Tingey said she has attended many year-end celebrations and felt the sense of accomplishment this time of year brings. She congratulated students who received Advanced and Honors diplomas http://www.canyonsdistrict.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2357:class-of-2013-67-to-earn-honors-advanced-diplomas&Itemid=1, and is pleased to see the numbers of recipients increasing each year. She also attended the Bengal Building tours and the ribbon-cutting of the house built by students from the Canyons Technical Education Center. She attended the Midvale Middle School’s Middle Years Programme awards, in which 236 students were recognized for achieving MYP certificates for their community projects.

Vice President Steve Wrigley also toured the Bengal Building, and thanked students for the hospitality. He also attended the Advanced and Honors diplomas open house and the MYP awards ceremony at Midvale Middle. He also attended the District Arts Consortium meeting, and noted the many projects underway in the Canyons community. He attended the Transition Exercises for Jordan Valley School students, which he said was a touching experience. He also is looking forward to speaking at commencement this week.

Cowdell reflected on the past year. He said he is pleased to see spikes in academic achievement and ACT scores, staff and students recognized for their achievements. Noting changes in the Board and superintendency, he said Canyons is starting a new chapter, and is no longer considered a new school district. He said he feels good about the direction of the District, and is looking forward to working through some of the kinks. He thanked Board colleagues, and said he hoped to have lighter work this summer so the Board could focus on the superintendent search. He announced that next Tuesday, the Board will host an open house for outgoing Canyons Superintendent David Doty, and encouraged anyone who would like to come to attend. He said he appreciates Dr. Doty’s work and wishes him well in the future. He also thanked Taylor for his efforts to lead the Board.

Chad Iverson attended the Entrada Adult High School commencement exercises last month, and was inspired by stories of individuals who had overcome odds to achieve their goals.

Taylor said he is looking forward to Alta High commencement, where each year he is inspired by the graduating class. He thanked the Board members for their hard work, and noted Board service is getting to be almost a full time job. He said the Board enjoys what it’s doing, because of its care and concern for students. He also thanked administrators, teachers and support staff for their hard work this school year.

Closed Session

The Board met in Closed Session for the purposes of discussing collective bargaining and the character, professional competence, or physical or mental health of an individual.