On behalf of the Canyons Board of Education and Administration, staff, parents, and students, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to #TeamCSD. We feel honored that you have chosen to serve as a public educator in the Canyons community, and are confident that the knowledge and expertise you bring will greatly benefit our schools.
This guide will explain some of our region’s rich history as well as some practical information about living in the Greater Salt Lake metropolitan area. We think you’ll find Canyons a welcoming and collaborative community, and encourage you to get to know your colleagues who can serve as a resource as you become accustomed to all things Canyons. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our District staff as well.
I joined Canyons as Superintendent in July 2020, and like many of you, chose this District for its student-centered focus and reputation. Canyons is truly a lighthouse district that other school systems seek to emulate, and we look forward to working with all of you to innovate and continue to raise the bar. We welcome your expertise as we work to prepare all students for college, careers, and life, and trust you’ll find your time with us to be both professionally and personally enriching.
Kind Regards,
Canyons School District
Our Vision of Success is Achieved Through...
“Every student who attends Canyons School District will graduate college- and career-ready.”
Student Achievement
Customer Service
Innovation
Community Engagement
Fiscal Responsibility
History of Canyons School District
Celebrating 14 Years of Educational Excellence
On a brisk, clear day on Nov. 6, 2007, residents in the southeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley headed to the polls to vote in an election unlike any other. On that day, their votes made history. For the first time in Utah in nearly 100 years, a new school district was born — and Canyons District has been making history ever since. Canyons District began independent operations on July 1, 2009, and we have kept the revolutionary vision of those voters at the center of all we do. With a laser-like focus on helping every one of our students become college- and career-ready, the District has been breaking barriers and raising the bar. The symbol of Canyons District is of the three majestic peaks that rise above our namesake. Yes, the peaks represent the magnificence of the mountains that soar above our schools, but they also represent the obstacles that may face our students, and their resolve to rise above them.
Why CSD is the Place to Be
Canyons At a Glance
Did you know that as many as 30 percent of Canyons District’s new teacher recruits come from outside Utah? There are a lot of reasons to choose to live and work here. For some, it’s the luxury of having four world-class ski resorts in your backyard and five national parks within a half-day’s drive while still being able to enjoy the urban perks of downtown Salt Lake. Where else can you spend the afternoon rock climbing only to enjoy an evening of fine dining and theater or ballet? Others choose Canyons for the supportive, collegial work environment, or because of our strong tradition of student achievement. Our students routinely outperform their Utah peers on year-end test scores, often by as much as 13 to 15 percentage points, and Advanced Placement and ACT college entrance exams. There are also those who choose Canyons for its culture of innovation, which has given rise to: Dual Immersion schools where students learn a world language while learning to read, write and do arithmetic; a unique Step2theU program that allows students to get a jump on college while they’re still in high school; and the launch of Canyons Online, a program for self-driven, organized learners who seek an educational experience away from the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom.
Canyons Values Teachers
- Content-focused professional development
- Low or no-cost endorsement programs
- New Teacher Academy - PEAKS
- School-based mentoring through academic coaches
- Instructional Professional Learning Communities (IPLCs)
- Classroom technology including iPads and Chromebooks
- Manuals, handbooks, and curriculum maps
- School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Demographics
Median Home Value:
$467,000 - $759,000
Median Family Income:
$95,817
Adults with High School Diplomas
95.02%
The commercial base within the District is strong and diverse, with a total taxable property value of $37.3 billion (tax year 2022). The median family income was $95,817 with average homes valued at $649,100. The per capita income was $59,077 and over 90% of adults have a high school diploma.
The communities within the District enjoy a relatively low crime rate, and the cities offer high level of municipal services.
Canyons District enjoys an unrivaled relationship with our cities and the elected officials that represent the Canyons School District area.
Cities that comprise the Canyons School District.
The Canyons Board of Education
8 - Brighton High
9 - Butler Middle
10 - Bella Vista Elementary
11 - Butler Elementary
13 - Oakdale Elementary
12 - Ridgecrest Elementary
1 - Hillcrest High
2 - Midvale Middle
3 - Union Middle
5 - East Midvale Elementary
7 - Midvale Elementary
6 - Midvalley Elementary
46 - Jordan Valley School
34 - Alta High
40 - Draper Park Middle
35 - Indian Hills Middle
36 - Altara Elementary
41 - Draper Elementary
37 - Lone Peak Elementary
38 - Sprucewood Elementary
14 - Albion Middle
15 - Brookwood Elementary
16 - Canyon View Elementary
17 - Granite Elementary
19 - Park Lane Elementary
18 - Quail Hollow Elementary
39 - Sunrise Elementary
17a -Gold Miner’s Daughter
21 - Jordan High
22 - Mount Jordan Middle
4 - Copperview Elementary
26 - Crescent Elementary
23 - East Sandy Elementary
24 - Sandy Elementary
30- Canyons Transition Academy
25 - Diamond Ridge High
27 - Eastmont Middle
28 - Alta View Elementary
29 - Glacier Hills Elementary
31 - Peruvian Park Elementary
32 - Silver Mesa Elementary
33 - Willow Canyon Elementary
25 - Entrada
25 - Canyons Virtual Academy
20 - CTEC
42 - Corner Canyon High
43 - Oak Hollow Elementary
44 - Willow Springs Elementary
Leadership through Service
District Administration
With 34,000 students, 44 schools, and nearly 6,000 employees, Canyons District is the size of a small city. There are a lot of moving parts to a District this size, and as an employee, it’s important to keep up with the latest information you need to do your job. Our job as a District is to remove barriers and make it as easy as possible for you to stay in the know.
Dr. Rick Robins
Superintendent
Leon Wilcox
Business Administrator and CFO
Dr. McKay Robinson
Assistant Superintendent
Stay Informed, Get Involved
Visit school and District websites. Follow and participate in Canyons Board of Education meetings.
CSD Hashtags
#WeAreCanyons
#CSDisThePlaceToBe
#CanyonsLiving
#TeamCSD
Popular Resources
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the employees can attend the study sessions and business meetings of the Canyons Board of Education, the members of which are elected to represent the public in the governance of the District. There’s also a live stream of the meeting on the website just in case you’re interested in listening to the discussion but can’t make it to the meeting. Meeting dates and agendas can be found here.
Each school has a website with published staff and faculty directories.
You can request time off through Skyward Employee Access. Once in Skyward Employee Access, in the top left-hand corner, adjacent to the box “Employee Information,” is the box “Time Off.” Click on “My Requests.” Look to the right-hand of the side of the page for the “Add” box. Click that box, choose the appropriate Time Off Code in the drop-down box, and write a brief description of the reason you’d like time of. Then, indicate if the requested time off is for one day or a series of days. In the “Days” box, make sure to indicate how many days you would like to be gone. In the “Start” box, please indicate the time you’d like to begin your time off. When your entry is complete, hit save. The request will be forwarded to your supervisor for perusal. An email message will be sent to you when the request is approved/denied.
Generally, Canyons District employees are paid twice a month, generally on the 15th and the last day of the month. Paychecks are deposited electronically into your bank or credit union account. Paycheck changes, such as a different direct-deposit account, 401K, or insurance alterations, must be submitted by the 10th of the month in order to be enacted in the next paycheck.
Marriage is a qualifying event to change your elections. Other qualifying events include divorce; birth, adoption or guardianship; death; involuntary loss of coverage; enrollment in other coverage. You have 30 days from the life-changing events to accommodate the change. The exception is divorce; you have 60 days to accommodate the change. Status-changing events only allows you to make changes to your benefits that are necessary to accommodate the change. It does not allow you to change your health plans or carriers. If you’ve had one of these events occur, please contact the insurance department as soon as possible. The Insurance Department staff will need to enter the status change into the enrollment system before you will be able to log-into the system to make the necessary changes. Questions? Call our Insurance Department at 801-826-5428.
This information can be easily accessed in Skyward Employee Access. Go to the District’s website at www.canyonsdistrict.org. Look to the right side of the page. Find and click on the “Skyward” link. Use your log-in and password to get into Skyward Employee Access. Go to “My Status.”
Yes. All Canyons District phone numbers start with the prefix 826. When transferring a call within the CSD phone system, simply push 6 (the last number in the 826 prefix) and then the four-digit extension. For example, to transfer to the Front Desk, push “6,” then 5001.
According to CSD policy, Licensed employees are granted up to eight days absence without pay deduction in the event of the death of a spouse, parent/step-parent, or child, and any other child who is being or was parented by the employee and resides or resided in the home for funeral and related issues. Employees also are granted up to three days of absence without pay deduction in the event of the death of the employee’s spouse’s parent/step-parents or the employee’s or spouse’s grandchild, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or other person residing in the employee’s home. A maximum of two additional days may be granted if travel time is needed. Travel must be in excess of 350 miles (one way) to qualify for additional days. An immediate supervisor shall request travel verification information from an employee. If the death of an employee’s parent/step-parent results in the loss of the only remaining parent, up to three additional days may be taken to deal with estate issues. The additional days must be taken within one calendar year of the parent’s death.
Yes. Each year, the Canyons Education Foundation awards thousands of dollars in Innovation Grants as part of a competitive application process. Visit the Foundation’s website for more information here.
Please call the Help Desk at 801-826-5544 . If you reset you passwords, please don’t forget to reset the passwords on your mobile devices, as well.
Utah schools are open-enrollment, meaning that children may enroll in schools other than those assigned to them by geographic boundaries, as long as there is room at the school. You may apply for an out-of-boundary permit at the schools where you would like your children to attend. However, if you decide to go this route, you will be responsible for your child’s transportation to and from school. The open-enrollment window is Dec. 1 through the third Friday in February. However, you may request a late enrollment application. Open-enrollment applications can be accessed at www.canyonsdistrict.org. Questions? Please call Canyons District’s Office of Planning and Enrollment at 801-826-5181.
Yes. Employees can buy meals through CSD’s Nutrition Services. Cost is $3.75 for an adult meal. View Menus Here.
Please call the Information Technology Help Desk at 801-826-5544.
Employees have a First Amendment right to speak their mind about any issue. However, we request that you first call the Canyons District Office of Public Communications. The two communications officers, Jeff Haney and Kirsten Stewart, are the official spokespeople of the District. They will be able to give you guidance or offer to call the reporter back on your behalf. They can be reached at 801-826-5084 (jeff.haney@canyondistrict.org) and 801-826-5050 (kirsten.stewart@canyonsdistrict.org). In addition, if you see something positive in the District that you think merits attention from the news media or in the District’s newsletters or website, please send a note or give a call to the Communications Office. Jeff and Kirsten are always looking for good news tips.
Canyons District can change their elections during the Open Enrollment period, which is held every year and is mandatory for every employee, regardless of changes are made. Changes made during Open Enrollment take effect Jan. 1 of the following year. Please take some time to review the Benefit Book, which will be posted on the website and sent to your house via the U.S. Postal Service.
Quick References
- Payday is twice a month: the 15th and the last day of the month – new teachers, bus drivers and nutrition employees’ first paychecks are September 15th every year.
- All licensed employees shall receive two salary payments each month, totaling twenty-four (24) payments per contract year, one on the 15th and the other on the last day of the month. If the 15th or the last day of the month falls on a weekend or on a holiday, payday will be the preceding financial banking day of the month.
- Newly hired licensed employees who begin their employment on the first day of the new contract year, will have their contract disbursed over twenty-five (25) pay periods (25S pay frequency) for their first year of employment and then transitioned to twenty-four (24) pay periods (24S pay frequency) the following year. The first payment will be the last day of August, however, if this day falls on a weekend, payday will be the preceding financial banking day of the month.
- Newly hired licensed employees who begin their employment after the first day of the new contract year, will have their contract dispersed over twenty-four (24) pay periods (24S pay frequency) as explained above.
- Any changes to your paycheck (W-4, Direct Deposit, 401K) are due to Payroll by the 7th and 22nd of the month to be included in the next scheduled payday.
- Licensed teachers enter time through Frontline or Skyward. Time-off guidelines are as follows:
- Personal Days ( up to 5 accrued days) can be used anytime during the school year except:
- The first and last 5 days of school – docked as NO PAY days
- Before and/or after a holiday unless you have entered the lottery with HR and received approval letter. Docked as follows without lottery approval:
- Teacher/Licensed $110
- During contract days when students are not present at the school
- Family Sick Leave can be used at any time for family members or yourself. Any leftover at the end of the end of the year rolls to sick leave.
- Sick can be used at any time for yourself – not family members. This time comes from unused Family Sick. The District does not allocate Sick leave days, only amily Sick leave.
- Alternative Leave is not a free day. It’s docked as follows:
- Teacher/Licensed $110
- Personal Days ( up to 5 accrued days) can be used anytime during the school year except:
- Skyward Employee Access contains all personal information about the employee. Items such as check stubs, W-2s, current and past pay rates, semi-monthly pay amount, current direct deposit bank account, and current W-4 elections can all be found here.
- Remember contract pay is spread over 24 pay periods (including summer months for 180/186/196/206/242 day contracts). If an employee starts in the middle of the school year, their semi-monthly pay will be calculated based on the number of days they will actually work, then divided by the remaining payday in the contract year.
Canyons Payroll Department
Main #801-826-5595 / Fax 801-826-5385
Shana Lowe 801-826-5424
Shannon Mortensen 801-826-5433
Janet Pearson 801-826-5342
Kathy Aitken 801-826-5326
Lana Deuel 801-826-5513
Canyon’s School District is proud to offer robust retirement benefits. As a new employee, there are a few decisions regarding your retirement options that you’ll have to make within one year of your hire date. Detailed information will be mailed to you by Utah Retirement Systems (URS), which manages the retirement plans for Utah’s public employees. Here are a few key points of information to keep in mind to guide you in your retirement planning:
- If you ever worked as a public employee in Utah on or before June 30, 2010, you are already enrolled in the old Tier 1 Retirement System, and you won’t need to declare a choice.
- If you are beginning public employment on or after July 1. 2011, you’ll choose between the Tier 2 Hybrid Retirement System or the Tier 2 Defined Contribution Plan. You may change your election at any time within one year of your hire date. At the end of one year, your final selection can’t be changed. If you don’t make a choice the Hybrid retirement Option is the default plan assigned to you. To make your decision, create a myURS account at www.urs.org where you’ll also find detail about the option. Additional resources: For questions about the Hybrid Retirement System call URS at 801-366-7770. For questions about the Defined Contribution Plan call URS at 801-366-7720.
- All CSD employees are also eligible to contribute to 401(k) and 457 retirement plans. To take advantage of these plans, you can fill out a form in CSD’s Payroll Office or signup at www.urs.org.
- CSD employees can also enroll in a 403B annuity account. A list of authorized vendors can be found on the District’s Retirement or Payroll webpages.
- Questions? URS offers regular financial consulting through www.urs.org. CSD’s Retirement Specialist Janet Ekenstam is also a great resource, 801-826-5368.
Main Telephone Number – 801-826-5428
Robert Reeder – Insurance Coordinator – 801-826-5448
Lisa Peterson – Insurance Admin Assistant – 801-826-5343
Janet Ekenstam – Retirement Specialist – 801- 826-5368
Enrollment Benefits – Initial New Hire Enrollment
- Benefit materials are available online or upon request from the Insurance Department.
- Enrollment for Benefits is online here at Employee Navigator.
- Enrollment window for new employees ends 30 days from your start date.
- Benefit materials ( Welcome letter, Benefit Guide, Enrollment instructions) will be emailed to your District email address within your 1st week of employment.
- The enrollment process is mandatory, even if you choose to waive all benefits.
- Coverage begins the first day of the month following your start date.
- Enrollment must be completed within the first 30 days of Employment. No Exceptions!
- Elections are binding until the beginning of the next benefit year.
Open Enrollment- Regular Annual Enrollment
- Annual Open Enrollment is mandatory, even if you recently completed the initial New Hire enrollment.
- Annual Open Enrollment occurs every fall at the end of October.
- The benefit year is Jan 1 – Dec 31.
- Midyear changes will not be permitted without one of the following Qualifying Life Events:
- Birth
- Death
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Gain or loss of a child as a dependent
- Gain or loss of other coverage.
- If a qualifying event occurs, you have 30 days from the event to make the change.
- The employee is responsible for notifying the Insurance Department of any qualifying events.
Click to Preview the Following Calendars:
186 Employee Calendar K- 12 2023-24
186 Employee Calendar (TRI) 2023-24
All 2023-24 Employee Calendars can be found HERE
Click to Preview the Following Salary Schedules:
Licensed Salary Schedule-L186 (2023-2024)
All 2023-24 Salary Schedules can be found HERE
Canyons Education Foundation
Canyons Education Foundation (CEF) is a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity that works in tandem with community and business partners to support the overall mission of Canyons School District. A governing board of community leaders and local volunteers provides organizational oversight, with assistance from dedicated district employees.
The Foundation awards approximately $100,000 in teacher innovation grants each year. These grants are funded through the foundation, which also supports principal pantries and students in need.
In 2022, the Foundation supported college-and career-readiness by awarding six seniors with Bright Star Scholarships at each of our traditional high schools. Two students received a $2,500 Rising Star Scholarship, and up to $10,000 was donated to assure all students could apply to college in the UCAW program. The Foundation also coordinates partnerships and volunteers from the community that benefit Canyons, our students and educational efforts.
For the 2023-2024 school year, the Foundation will support teachers and classrooms by matching donations on donorschoose.org, and awarding Foundation Innovation Grants.
