What is it? >> Why don't we just >> Welcome to the Jordan School District Board of Education meeting. Uh tonight is February 10th, 2026. Um, and we are joined this evening with all seven members of the board of education as well as the superintendent, associate, superintendent, business administrator, board attorney, and other um members who will be pres presenting to us this evening. We appreciate you joining us. Uh we will begin this evening with our agenda item 1A, a draft re resolution of the Salt Lake County hazard mitigation plan. We'll invite Mr. Thomas and Mr. Roberts to the table. >> Thank you, President George. We just wanted to come back. I had to remind myself that uh this some projects take so long that there's a turnover on the board. And so some board members call and say, "Hey, can you walk me through what this is?" And they're always very kind and very nice and I have to apologize. But this was something this was a multi-jurisdictional uh hazard mitigation plan that came before the board in September of 2024. And so uh and even before that, Ian, I believe it was we we first learned about it in April of 2024. Correct. So, it's been nearly two years and like I said, some of these projects taken awful long time. So, thank you for your patience. Uh, in a nutshell, I'll kind of give you the high level overview of what this is and then I'll let uh Ian answer any questions you might have. But bottom line, we learned that in order for the school district and other districts and municipalities to qualify for FEMA funding in the event of or FEMA reimbursement or funding in the event of a natural disaster, a flood, hurricane, tornado, fire that that we need to develop or be part of a um hazard mitigation plan. And so when we came back to when we when we brought this to the board about a year and a half ago, we had three options. And one was to uh develop and maintain our own hazard mitigation plan that we just built from scratch. One was to participate in a hazard mil uh >> mitigation >> hazard mitigation plan or update being led by the county or by by a a county or local jurisdiction. And another one was to annex into an existing hazard mitigation plan uh that was already underway. So at the time we were kind of led into thinking the best option was to get on board with Salt Lake County at the time and join them in their efforts because they were developing one. And so that was the recommen recommendation to the board and the board gave uh staff direction to move in that direction which is what Ian and his staff did. They attended multiple workshops and uh in order to provide feedback and to participate in that and uh so that's where we at. There's been a number of volumes that have come out, revisions have been made over the uh past year and a half. Uh and so I'll let Ian from here answer any questions. And and part of that part of that plan was to at the end uh create a resolution basically uh that that that the board uh your respective boards would then be able to pass a resolution saying we are officially part of this plan and then that would qualify us for any any FEMA funding should there be an unfortunate event that takes place within the district. >> Questions? I have a question. >> Good. Because Ian's really prepared and he was >> I'm curious what are our roles and responsibilities in this plan. >> So all they've asked for us to do over the next for this update cycle is to just have a a community awareness. So twice a year they'd like us to use social media whether that be Facebook X our district website to post that hazard mitigation plan. So give it access to the public. Um and Skyward is an option as well and then um >> participate in any updates. >> So we will so this is a five-year plan um as we approach 2029. We will likely go through the same process participate in another update kind of provide so there will be kind of continuous updates as we move through it. Um but we will be asked to participate We're to a new plan. >> Okay. So, the plan that that we're posting is like pretty huge, right? Like, did you tell me over 400 pages? >> That's just one volume. So, Suzanne, Miss Wood was able to find one volume that we didn't even have yet. And I think since then, Ian received volume two. >> Yes. This afternoon, we received the entirety of the hazard mitigation. and it's just under 2,000 pages. >> So, we're posting it, but that's not very readable for our public. Are are they hoping that our public gets something from that? Do we need to >> Well, I mean, we can give them that access, but there there's also kind of a a summarization of it. So, >> executive summary that we could provide. Yeah, >> I can say I just searched for the word school in the document and it was able to get me to just over a hundred citations for school. If the public or anybody listening is curious about school relevance in that 2,000 pages almost >> interesting. >> Anyone else have questions? What what is the school district binding itself to by agreeing to this? Are we agreeing to do certain things to our buildings over a certain time period? What's the financial burden if if any? >> My knowledge there's no financial burden. All it is is just kind of creating an awareness of of those hazards for our community. >> Is there were some tables in the plan? And I know Miss Wood found one, for example, that talked about schools that are in flood planes and and we kind of went through that. None of our schools, according to their assessment, were in flood planes. But regardless, if there ever was, um, you know, we would receive full or partial funding from FEMA in the event of an emergency or a disaster. And if we didn't agree to this and say we had a natural disaster, a fire or something that destroyed part or all of one of our buildings, what would we do as a district to take care of that? >> Called John and I think we'd be on our own. I you know that's that's my understanding federal disaster funds. we grants that may be made available as well. >> Our facilities are insured with state risk management. So, we do uh pay a sizable just like our homes with a a property insurance, homeowners insurance. We carry insurance on our buildings, but um should there be a large event, uh the state's insurance will not be able to cover that >> unless we have participated, >> right? And so a large event, that's the purpose of FEMA is to come in and help with things that uh local jurisdictions could not really take care of on their own. Uh did we help with this plan at all? Did they ask anything of us? What did we contribute? And come 2029 when we have to do this again, were we good partners? are they going to kick us out or are we going to be able to keep working together? >> Yeah, it's it's something that we were able to to participate in many workshops and webinars. So, we provided a lot of input and helped in identifying a lot of those uh hazards that our communities are exposed to. um their their goal with this they they claim that $1 spent on on mitigation will actually save $6 on the the back end in the event of a disaster. So, um our participation um I don't feel like it was unwanted. Uh we uh I'm pretty sure we'll be able to participate when it comes around again in 2029. And we are aware I think the canyons was part of part of the county project. Um the the county plan is where there's did you say there were like 20? >> So there were there were 23 towns and cities, two school districts, the canyons being the other one and then one community college that participated. So there were additional um entities that also participated that had their own plan in place that did not jump on and piggy back with the >> So there are a lot of school districts within the county that we were just assuming they either did their own plans or annexed into an existing >> so because of this topic I looked up our AA435 policy on emergency management programs and one of the things that I noticed was that um we would partner with state, county, and local agencies. So, I appreciate this approach to partner with the county in having a really comprehensive plan for the community and the school district being a significant part of that. >> Thank you. Look at you go to policy. I'm so proud. >> You inspired me, Bryce. Uh Paul has also helped us draft the resolution and that's that's something else you see. So I you know I guess the question would be uh direction for approval. Uh does it go on the consent agenda special business item? But with your direction and support, we're ready to move in that direction for perhaps the next board meeting to get it on the agenda in any case. And >> yeah, I don't think you need to bring it up as a special item and I know we don't usually do resolutions. The resolution is just for their convenience. Um it's their preferred method. So we we can just tack it on. Something else that you approve. >> Anyone have concerns with adding this to our next consent agenda? All right. Perfect. Well, thank you for the information. We appreciate you being here. >> Thank you. Thanks for hanging in there with us for a long time. Took a minute. >> We'll hang out with you forever. Thank you. >> Okay, let's move on to agenda item 1B, exception request to administrative policy AA414, student overnight travel. We'll invite Mr. Sorenson um to the Oh, and Mr. Gatton. Am I saying it wrong? Oh, good. That's >> right. Perfect. >> Okay. To the table. Thanks for being here. >> Thank you. Yeah, we just uh as you see in in uh your board docs, we have a request for a second trip Herman High as part of our new policy as it is as it states anytime that a team desires an additional trip beyond the allocated uh they can request that at the board's approval to have this. So in in uh the system you'll see both trips that are for the track and field team there at Herman High. one that is the weekend of March 6th and 7th. Both of these are just one night trips down to compete in a trackmate that's held in St. George. Uh and the other one that we're looking to request for your permission would be the one on the 20th which is two weeks later uh in that competition. So, uh, we're here asking and, uh, track is awaiting our decision on if they can move forward with that second opportunity to go down to St. George and compete in the two-day competition that'll be held down there in St. George. >> I'm ready to vote. >> And I just I have a question just my own curiosity. I I don't know if I understand how the seasons work, but in the letter it says for the um postseason, what was it? It says serves as a critical component of our postseason strategy. When is the track and field season? I thought it was in the spring. So this is post of last year's track and field season or >> no both of these tra this is the beginning of the track and field season. But ultimately what they're trying to do is compete in that competition down there in order to increase their RPI ranking that exists that will be what kind of moves them into the postseason. So both both of these are kind of at the beginning of the season unless I'm seeing something wrong that you're not seeing Lisa. >> Oh, okay. I get it. So this is something to help them after the regular season. It's something before the season to help them in the postseason. >> So it's part of the season, but it helps them kind of create their strength of their of their team so that going into the postseason they have a better RPI standing. It's kind of what they call it. Tom, >> will you explain the RPI a little bit and why that would be important? So each each event that kids participate in invitationals can be a qualifier for the state tournament or the state BYU meet that we have at BYU later in the season. And so one of the main reasons they want to take this extra trip to St. George is because number one the weather is much better lower elevation you get better times and so offer offers the opportunity for these kids to have two chances to be able to get their qualifying times and then also to increase the status of the team as far as their ranking goes within 6A for all all teams that that compete in 6A. >> Thank you. Can you remind me why we limit these trips in the first place? What what types of things are we concerned about as staff and as board members? Why, you know, why do why do we limit them at all? >> Yeah, I I would I would say cost is one of those concerns and you can see the cost on both of these is relatively small. uh in this particular one distance travel just time commitments I would think that's probably the main reason why we have the concern especially with the local trips we've identified that 375 mile radius uh as far as those local trips that we call that now uh so to me it's not to be excessive and we limit that even to two days so you can see in this one each each trip is only one night that they're staying where in our policy we limit limit them to two. So they also don't miss a lot of school. So that's the other key key part there is they'll miss that Friday of school. It's music to my ears to see we have one day of school miss between both of the trips. Like for that I'm I'm ready to vote. I really appreciate being cognizant of academics >> and I was ready to vote because we spent a lot of time on revising this policy for this for this program really and it's been a good policy and I think one other play team. >> Did we need a formal vote? >> Make a motion. >> I wait one question. So everybody gets one trip correct and then they have to get the second trip approved. But do we still They get a >> one local and one. >> Oh, right. >> Oh, they're getting two quick trips. >> That's why we have to approve. >> We still have to see all of the trips no matter what. I feel like >> they haven't seen trip one. So, do we technically have to approve trip one? >> No. >> Okay. I think they're just providing us with information so we can >> We're just approving the exception. >> Got it. Thank you. We didn't want you to feel like they find out later that they'd been to St. George two weeks before the trip that you approved. So, we wanted to give context to >> I really appreciate that. Thank you. >> That gives me a full picture. >> But you're right. It's it's you don't approve all of the other trips. The the the first trip to St. George is provided for context. The second trip is the only one that you're being asked to approve. I make a motion we approve the trip uh that Herman's track has brought to us. >> Second. >> Okay, we have a motion by Dr. Robinson, second by Mr. Deford. Um any further discussion. Okay, all in favor of the motion to approve the second overnight travel for Herman High School track, please say I. >> I. >> And any opposed, please say nay. Right, that motion carries unanimously. >> Thank you very much. Good luck. >> Good luck. Bring us a national championship. >> No pressure. >> No pressure. >> Great. All right, let's move into item 1 C, a discussion regarding the approval process for the 2627 fee schedule. Um, I'll just give a little context for this agenda item. We are coming up to approving a new round of fees. And as we finished our last year's discussion, um there were some questions that board members had and we made a commitment that we would talk more before the process came up again. um board members were given an opportunity to bring up uh specific questions. We didn't hear a lot of them. Um, and so we haven't had that conversation. But now that we're about to begin again, we wanted to take an opportunity to talk a little bit about the process, questions, concerns that board members have so that as our staff come to present a new fee schedule, um they're a little more prepared and we have had an opportunity as a board to talk about our role in this decision process. So, um Dr. Godfrey, would you do you want to add there? >> Yeah, we just want to make sure that as we go into this process, we know what questions you have about that process and we're able to answer those. Be prepared for that. We have not had uh in the past years a lot of public input um on fees. Our deadline is April 1st and we do have to have hold two public hearings. So the idea is um in talking with Brad and Cody to bring those fees to you next time to review. We have three meetings between now and the deadline. So two of those meetings will be presenting and there will be overlap. Two of those meetings there will be comment but in one of those meetings where there would be comment there would also be a decision from the board. So we'll present next time. The following meeting would be presentation and hearing and then the final meeting before April 1st would be presentation and decision. So that's the timeline and we wanted to hear the questions that you have uh about the process or about fees. The way that it works uh as we prepare to present to the board is that Brad and Cody contact principles who in turn work with athletic directors, advisors, teachers, coaches about uh where the fees need to be. For those listening, over the years, there have been efforts, and this has been over a number of years, to make sure that we are intentional and thoughtful about the fees that we do charge so that we aren't just increasing coffers in in certain areas. And I think in large measure we've been able to um delay fees where they didn't need to be charged, but this was years ago where individual classes or other groups had not spent down what they had before they were asking for more. So I think we've been responsible in that regard. There was also um legislation that required us to spend fees for that particular group. So if you charge a fee for for participation in a group, it has to be spent on that group and you have to put the full cost of that program onto the group. So if you are in drill, you have to pay the full freight of what it costs to be in drill. And that money cannot be used for anything else. Not that it was being used for something else, but that was clarity given in the law. And so over time, we've spent down before we asked for more. We have made sure that programs were spending the money that they collected on the things that they had were charging for. And um the board has been very helpful in helping offset the fees that were lost for registration so that schools have been able to continue to operate and schools have not felt that negative impact of not being charged a general registration fee. Um there's a requirement. Well, looking back as we've looked at the cost for activities and particularly for athletics, a good portion of the cost of athletics is the cost of transportation. And we we've discussed at at times in the past whether the board like some other districts do would want to pay transportation to lower the fees. And the previous discussion was all taxpayers should not pay transportation for activities that only certain students participate in. So that is one reason that fees will be as high as they are when you're comparing them with some districts because some districts pay for transportation upfront and then charge for the costs beyond transportation. Um so that that's a little bit of the landscape. One of the requirements, and you'll hear more about this in detail when Brad and Cody come and present, but one requirement under the law is that there has to be a path forward so that students can go all the way through high school without having to pay a fee. The proposed fees allow for a fair amount of choice for students and so we are proposing fees that do not charge fees for beginning courses if the board but that's expensive and schools are worried about that. So, one decision the board will need to make and I give you the all of this context so that as you have questions and we talk about your priorities that you you have this context to think about. It's costly if the board tr offsets those fees. So if we don't charge them to give a variety of paths without fees to graduation a variety of paths to graduation without fees rather then it would be expensive to offset that. If we don't offset it then it means that schools just and instruction changes the nature of instruction changes because they can't do the things in class that they would have labs or materials or other things like that that they might use. The other option is to say we want a singular path. We do not want a broad path. If you don't want to pay fees, these are this is the small number of classes you're able to take to accomplish that. Does that range of choices make sense the way I've described? >> So, so the third choice would be with the narrow path would mean that all the other classes would have a fee to cover materials. >> That's right. So, it was my understanding that when the school fee bill passed, there was some funding allocated for a period of three years. Do we know if that funding is actually going to be delivered to schools? Has that been that decision been made? >> Uh the final decision has not been made. No. Uh but over uh prior to the legislative session happening, the executive appropriations committee reversed that funding that was provided and approved by the prior legislature and that committee said no, we don't want to do that. They pulled it back including the funny funding that we received in August. >> Yeah. That we've already spent. >> Yes. However, this morning in um public education appropriations committee, they approved as a request from the committee that the funding we lost in August be restored, which represents half cuz it was going to be split over 3 years, 50%, 30%, 20%. So that 50% that we received in August is is supposed to come back to us. Frankly, they haven't pulled it back yet. So, it's just we'll be able to keep it rather than pay it back. >> It's an interesting question of transparency for people who follow the process to listen to the debate, listen to the votes, have money allocated, and then a year later everything changes. It's It's been a learning curve this year. I didn't even know they could do that. >> Executive Appropriations Committee has quite a bit of power. >> Really interesting. So, if anybody's interested in asking their legislator about it, I would encourage you to and if I can help you find their contact, please contact me. I I understand why transportation is a big deal and why athletics fees are quite a bit higher, but I don't I don't understand like these different pathways that you mentioned, graduation, and how uh if we if we want to um provide more of those paths. Yes, >> we may want to consider funding from a board perspective some of those class fees. Right. >> Right. >> Are are those class fees even close to what they're paying for athletics? I mean, are they 20 buck $50 lab or material or clay or whatever it is? I mean, are they are they so high that they're restricting people from not being able to take those classes? >> I don't think so. It all depends on people's individual circumstances, but it's not exorbitant. It's $20 fee, $15 fee. Um I I'd have to look that up, but it's the total cost is close to $700,000. Eliminate the entry level class fees entirely. That's what it would cost to offset that for schools. So, it's $700,000 to say if you want to take woods or art or >> ceramics, >> ceramics, I wanted to say sculpture, ceramics is the term. Um, for for 700,000 we give that full range and classes are able to create the labs and buy the materials that they need. But if we give one narrow path and say we are complying with the law but you have to take this drawing class and this is the class you take next and that's the class you take next. If we restrict their electives we can narrow that and create one inexpense one free path through and then continue to charge for the other classes. to get to your question, if we continue to to charge for those other classes, it's not a large amount of money. It's not similar to athletics. It's I think it's up to $20 for um level one classes. I'll take a look at that and see how much that is. >> So, when you say level one classes, you're saying if I take ceramics one, then that would be covered. And if I took ceramics too, then I might have a fee associated. Is that >> it doesn't eliminate all of the class fees, but people kids have to take that that level one course to get their fine arts credit or so the graduation credits don't require that second level course. It requires the the lower level course. So >> my understanding what that means by level one and >> like is that >> just the base level so ceramics one free ceramics 2 maybe have a fee. >> That's right because you don't need ceramics 2 to graduate. Exactly. >> So the maximum fee on an entry- level course is $20. So, it's $700,000 to say, "We're still going to provide we will provide the money for you that you would have received if we were still charging fees." And now students have the full range of options and can still graduate without having to pay. That doesn't mean none of the classes charge. The advanced classes would still be charging, but an advanced class isn't required for graduation. >> Makes sense. >> That Thank you for that question. And that helps me kind of >> I just want to make sure I understood what we were talking about. >> Can I can I ask a clarifying question as well? >> Sure. >> So, under the law, are we obligated to have all these entrylevel classes not charge a fee or just one of them that's available? >> One of them. >> You have to have a path to graduation. >> So, our current version is for $700,000. We give the full range of entry- levelvel courses without a fee. Instead, you can say, "Here's your narrow pathway to graduation. These are the exact classes you take and now you can do it fee free and we technically just have to have a path that doesn't require any fees >> or choices graduate, >> right? So that's one of the issues the board will have to decide. >> Can I raise another issue >> that the board consistently has a problem with every year? I've watched it every single year we do fees and that is when are we one and when are we many? When are we one nation and when are we 50 states? because I've watched this board at some point say I have concern that they're charging more than they're charging for the same program. So one issue we always have to wrestle with is do you want to force every drill team to have the same package? Are you going to allow this tree drill team which imposed upon it themselves to have an extra expense? Every year we see anomalies and discrepancies in what each different programs charge. And one of the issues we have to settle is are you okay that that high school charges more than that high school for the same program because they want a bell and whistle and this program doesn't. Does is are those concerns ever across boys and girls teams differences or is it historically just one high school to the next? Like why does boys basketball charge more than or >> I've heard that. So what I think it might be helpful as you're raising these questions, these big high concept questions, I'll jot them on the whiteboard so we can keep kind of a list so that we can then circle back and give direction. And so I'll go add that. As far as the I'm going back to the narrow path and the wide path. Um I like the approach of having a a narrow path because I feel like it is a similar principle to um not having taxpayers pay for the transportation to um competitions for ath athletics. I think we will have a way that is fee free for students to graduate and then also if people want to I think I think it will allow us to fund other things. Well, that's that's why we put the question out there because um and I'm oversimplifying it because I'm not looking at the number of fine arts credits that you need. It's not just one fine arts class. It's 1.5 credits. But essentially it would cost 700,000 by some estimates 800,000 to provide a wide range of feef free options because you can't just say oh you declared fee free so we're not going to charge you but we're going to charge you but we could choose the least expensive courses that tend not to charge fees or or charge low fees and say this is the one where we don't charge fees. We would still need to backfill that. We would still need we don't know the number for that but it would be less to say here's the one path we'll pay for as opposed to all of the paths that every path is free instead of just one path is free. Does that make sense? And most lots of kids >> choose that for a student like oh sorry you have to like drawing because that's the free class. It's inexpensive enough that many I I don't want to be insensitive to people's individual circumstances, but it's it's relatively inexpensive compared with sports, but I think it's inexpensive enough that many families will still choose some courses that don't have a fee and others that do. And and I feel like we're already telling students a lot of things that they >> we're not letting them choose whether or not to get language arts credits each year before they or ELA I guess English language arts credits each year in order to graduate. So, I don't think it's I don't think it's horrible to say this is the pathway to graduation if you do not want to pay any fees and it includes drawing and biology and chemistry or you know something like just for example I think the the fees associated with the other classes um if it is if it's important enough for a student if they hate drawing so much that they couldn't bear it. Um, they might be able to fund raise for the fees to do a different fine arts class. I think >> here's the actual language beginning for the 2026 27 school year. Uh each LEA that awards credit toward graduation shall ensure that each school has at least one option for each graduation requirement that fulfills the graduation requirement and does not require the payment or waiver of any fee. So the fine arts requirement, these are the classes you can take without a fee to fulfill that requirement. Right now, we're saying here's this range of classes, but if you want to say here are the three classes that will get you that 1.5 credit, then we can narrow down the the courses that don't require a fee. So then the PE credit here are the you know, this is the the path without a fee for each of the requirements. And I I have a question for Mr. Larson. I don't know if you've thought about this, but would the savings would the savings be significant for going to a narrow path versus um a very wide path as far as um covering the fees for all the classes versus covering the fees for one pathway to graduation? Or is do do you understand what I'm asking? >> Yeah, I think you're saying if if we did the where we cover all the beginning classes versus only these classes are covered, what's the cost difference on those? >> Yeah, >> I couldn't tell you, but I would imagine it would be fairly large. >> That's why we're talking about this preemptively so that we can bring you the information that you want. We already have calculated the wide range of choices. If you are interested in that narrow choice, then we can put something together. >> I haven't calculated the narrow choice. >> Okay. Because I was just thinking if if it's not a significant difference, then I don't see a huge benefit in um only offering a narrow choice. But in my own imagination, it seems like it would be a significant savings. >> Yeah. Everybody t if you want the free path, you have to take choir, drawing, and >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> The way that um I'm thinking about this is this could be fluid. We could make a decision and change it the following year or the following year depending on how this works and the feedback that we get. >> Yeah. >> With that in mind, experience has taught me that it is easier to start narrower and make it wider than start wide and bring it narrower. So, I would be interested in knowing both the narrow and a wide path. I I can see lots of views here and I understand where everyone's coming from and I appreciate this conversation, but I'm sitting here looking at our pillars on the wall over there and I want to ensure that we are giving opportunities for all our learners and making sure that they have a culture of belonging that they get to try different kinds of classes. Um, and so I would need to see a narrow path what that would look like. Um, but I I feel that these classes are different than the sports. um in that the constituents I have talked to, I feel like there is very much a culture of academics in this district and that people value that. And so I see this as um paying into the academics of our students and making them well-rounded and giving them opportunities. So, I am leaning towards the broader path, but I see the benefit of starting narrow and going broader and that we can be fluid with this, but I would like to see options of >> Okay, we'll we'll I'll bring you an an exact number. 700,000 is an estimate. So, I'll bring you the exact number that we I mean, it's all an estimate because it's based on who takes what class. And it's it's an estimate as of an actual number. It's all a projection. Excuse me of um what what that number might be. But um we'll we'll bring the narrow path and if it's okay, we will just choose the courses that are we'll just choose it based on going to the other extreme. The one extreme is paying for courses so that every entry- level course does not have a fee. And the alternative will be >> least expensive >> is to say pick all of the least expensive courses. So the ones the board is paying for are the ones that will cost you the least. And then we'll have both extremes and then you can decide where to go from there. And then that gives you you can decide where you want to fall in between those extremes. Does that >> go ahead? >> Well, and and I was just I I just wanted to bring up too and I could be mistaken, but just seeing the classes that my kids have taken in secondary school, a lot of classes that they have been able to choose like a language class does not have a fee associated with it. different um history classes or do not have fees associated with them. So, I think even with creating a narrow path, there are still classes that don't require a fee. We're not going to start um I'm assuming we're not going to start charging fees for um like Spanish 2 or something. Am I right or am I is that correct? >> No. Say I um I I am oversimplifying this. Even choosing one path will be complex because of prerequisites and how schedules work and what year you can take certain courses. So for those listening, I recognize that we're oversimplifying this. So, we'll bring back information about that. This is a we're not looking to charge fees where we haven't previously >> and and that's that's the point that I was thinking about. So, even within that realm, there are still choices, >> right? That's what I was referring to previously is that we've been intentional over the years. Why? Why is this fee being charged? And is the money collected being used mostly in that year to cover those needs? Have we right-sized the fees based on what the needs are? Have we matched the fees to the needs? And I think um our teachers and coaches and administrators at the secondary level have done a really good job of addressing that over the years. Um, but we're not going to charge fees that we haven't that aren't necessary. We're going to be very thoughtful about that. And it will be complex to come up with this singular path, but we'll we'll we'll come up with a the least expensive singular path, compare it to the full range of choices, and then we can talk about where where the board wants to land. I think it will be easier to conceptualize that when you have the numbers and the courses in front of you, but we wanted to talk about priorities and questions in advance of that. >> Thank you. >> Well, and I just want to add the backdrop of history, which is students historically have paid the fees and now they won't have to pay the fees. So, we're not talking about coming up with something that's punitive. It's really just how generous is the board gonna be per this bill that was passed. >> Will we follow it strictly or will we >> It is punitive. You either have the student pay or the public pays. >> Someone pays the fee. >> But punitive implies punishment, right? >> Or a fee. What I'm suggesting is if if we decide to have three art classes with no fee and last year all three had fees, it's not punitive to just give them two without fees when they've been paying for three. That's what I mean by that. >> Yeah. That one that they don't pay, >> we pay. >> The public pays. >> What you're grandma pays or the student pays? >> Yes. I don't want to let me be clear. >> Which one do you want grandma to pay for? >> I'm I'm not being punitive to students is that's not my perspective. >> No matter how many courses we ask them to pay for, they'll be paying for fewer than they were the year before. >> Yes, school fees are a tax. We just question is who's going to pay it? And um I don't get a lot of calls about the $5 art fee. You know, most people will say, "Oh, okay. No problem." where I'm getting the calls is the uh and I voted against school fees last time is the huge uh fees like $100 Spanx and $125 cleats and unfortunately some programs break it out like that and some programs don't. So there's a lot in there that probably aren't breaking out. So my biggest concern though is I get a ton of parents that call and say I can't bring it up with the coach. My kid will get benched. There's no way for our our parents to say that coach is charging too much. And a lot of this is driven by coaches, not by kids. And um we h I believe and I I'm going to keep voting against it until there's a way that a parent can anonymously complain about a fee. We have the SOS for the superintendent where anonymously somebody can say something and that's going to hold down some of these fees and I would like us to break transportation out of ours still charge it but could we see it out because yeah because what's happening is other districts are added it in and then we compare and all that and ours are higher because they're paying transportation and we're not. So, I would love to see that broken out as a line item. I don't know if that's complex or not. >> It is complex. I will say that it is but because >> I mean we can't do it if the board doesn't ask us to but then >> it's hard to figure out like >> it's also difficult in February to know what in the spring of 2027 you will have to pay for regions that may or 2028 or you know regions that haven't been formed yet. You don't know what those alignments are going to be. You don't know which invitationals you'll >> go to, how many participants you'll have, what >> I might even be okay if we can explain on that front page that we created that our fees, our transportation is included where other districts are not. Um, and how you say that kindly, but if I can point them to something like that, I just barely found that out last year. And I kept wondering why our fees are a little bit higher. And um, I don't know. So maybe not break it down, but maybe be a little bit more transparent about it. I don't know. But my biggest concern is, and I complain about the high price items, but I think there's probably a lot of high price items are not breaking out. So, let me ask, do you feel like that concern is part of what Bryce was saying when he said, is it okay for schools to charge fees different from each other for the same program or do you want that specific is that >> I mean, >> I just want to make sure I'm hitting >> what you're Bryce's question was brilliant because I I don't know what's the answer. or we compare and we say why is it cheaper over there but a parent doesn't have the ability to say hey Bingham's charging this mountain ridge is charging this and you know why but if a parent could say that I get a lot of calls that way but it's hard I get a lot of calls that way but it's hard for a parent to bring up to a coach or administration I think you're charging too much because they know that they they believe and maybe it's not true But well, it's true because that happened to me. Uh, your kid's not going to make the team because you complained. >> So, I I do think if we were to say, "Okay, no basketball teams get to buy team shoes. That's it. We're we're going to treat them all the same." I suspect I will get an equal number of calls saying, "Ah, we look so shoddy on the court and now when we go to competition, it's embarrassing because so I I do want to be I want to make sure that we're making good decisions and giving parents an outlet. I also want to say if parents are comfortable with that, if they want their kid to have matching Nikes with a team and that's their choice. Okay. >> I get a lot of parents that say I can't say because my >> and so that's where can parents raise concerns without damaging relationships? I did add that as an item because maybe that looks like we have an anonymous email line or something where we provide an avenue where they can say, "Man, that school is charging too much for basketball or whatever sport drill." Um, if I can add one. Sometimes I hear from constituents who say I pay my fees upfront and then throughout the course of the season it's like, "Oh, we need another hundred for this costume or this um whatever this add-on." So is a fee like once we choose our fee threshold, I would like to be able to say to my constituents, >> sorry, they can't keep charging more. >> Um, I understand that travel might be an outlier in that request, but that is a question that I would like our procedure to like answer the question once and for all. Can we continue to charge fees after we've already assessed a fee? >> My my understanding was they cannot charge fees beyond what we have approved. >> They are. >> And yet I get calls and I get screenshots of letters requesting extra money every single year. >> I think they should amend it. So like if they're going to charge more then they should amend it. We can do it on a consent agenda. We don't have to take time to discuss it. We can look at it. But if you're going to charge more than what we said you could charge, they need to mend their polic their their budget in my opinion. >> Sorry, Dr. Godfrey. I think I cut you off. >> No, it's good. Um, I'm just going to come back to the fees. If you ever receive information that a parent is being asked to pay money beyond the fee that was posted on the website, if you have a screenshot of that, if you hear about that, please share that with us and we will address that because a coach cannot charge >> above the fees that are approved by the board. But if it's the team mom, >> can they charge? >> No. >> Well, I don't think anyone is formally answerable to a teen mom. The coach isn't the teen mom. You guys don't approve a teen mom thing. But you and I have talked about, okay, everybody sign up for when you're going to provide lunch for 30 people or dinner or breakfast at, you know, and we're going to rotate and go around. I'm not sure how we regulate that. But if if a coach is asking for money beyond the fee, then I mean, this gets into what you said. If we try to say you cannot do meals at the homes of the parents of players, then you might be talking about baseball parents who've been traveling together for every fall break and spring break for the last 10 years and we're telling Do you know what I'm getting? So what you're describing is getting into squishy territory. It's like they shouldn't be charging they should not be charging beyond the approved fee. So, like if >> if you're going to perform in a halftime show and you want to all wear matching costumes and the team I mean that's those are the kind of situations where I hear people saying well it happens all of the time >> and that's that that goes to what you were saying earlier about parents sometimes being the driving force behind and wanting the matching stuff. I've had many conversations over the years. We don't have matching bags and then we show up and the other team has all the matching bags and they're they're you know the mojo is there. They're they're the team spirit is there and and it's embarrassing that we don't have that same stuff. We can control what's through the official channel. I'm not sure how to address the informal parents getting together and saying, "Hey, we're all going to buy these pajamas or we're all going to do this costume or everyone provide a meal and on Saturdays we're going to have breakfast at different homes." >> I I'm not sure how we how we control that in the costume. That's a team decision that a coach should in my opinion the coach is managing what the kids are wearing on the field. So, is your concern that teen moms may be acting as a surrogate for the coach to get past the prohibition of asking for more? I and maybe I shouldn't have brought up team moms. The I Yes, I do think that's a concern. No, I don't think that we can control that. But I do think that many constituents have raised this issue to me that they're being asked repeatedly throughout a season to pay more. >> That that's why I think having an anonymous way to say something and maybe having a way that they can amend their budget because we approved $700, they want to go to $850. We'll just send us in an adjustment. You know, >> I'm okay with like I I don't want to over control, but I do want to govern. We've come a long ways in 10 years. Like we've done a lot on school fees, so I don't want to overregulate it, but we do. We are the governing force to it. We're one of the ways that we manage it, I think. But anyways, >> I I think anything related to a performance ought to be coming through the coach and it ought to be covered by fees. I think overnight travel needs to be it needs to be clear that overnight travel is travel is separate and in our policy it's clear that you cannot be penalized for not participating in overnight travel your status on the team. So it can't be well you're out of this routine because you're not going on this overnight trip or you're benched because you weren't on this overnight trip. There cannot be a negative consequence for not participating. And I think making it clear upfront that these fees include the cost of transportation is important. I I'm interested in continuing to talk about these informal expectations from other parents. Um I'm aware of the breakfast and things that happen. I want to clarify. I'm not vilifying um teen moms or parent involvement. If you have not seen parents feed an entire marching band in St. George at the state competition, you owe it to yourself. I mean, this is a gloved operation where kids are moving through. They're feeding they could feed an army. And they offered me lunch. And the lunch was delicious. But seeing the operation at work was uh uh even more memorable. So parents supporting our programs is is really an an essential component of our success just like it is with our education during the day. But I agree that we need to make it clear what the expectations will be upfront. If we sign you up for this, we know what the obligation is for the year. There's a trip. If we qualify for another trip, it might be this much. This is the total amount that we could expect to potentially pay in travel. The fees are listed online. We know what those are. And maybe it's that um maybe we encourage even the the the parent side of things to a a greater level of transparency even if we even though we don't have as much control. And I think the question you brought up is something we can train our administrators and athletic administrators and coaches on is anything related to the competition or practice itself needs to come through the coach. There are other things that parents choose to do on the side that needs to be truly optional, not tied to essential functions of the team. So, I think that's a that's a point we can make in terms of regulating parents. Parents, like you said, often times are looking for an experience for their child that matches what they're going to see when they are competing. And that's why you hear about facilities is because we go to other facilities and and and we're competing around the valley. So I think transparency and predictability are the key components that I took from this last part of the discussion is it needs to be predictable what you can expect to pay and you shouldn't be nickel and dimed by anyone throughout the season and I can agree with that certainly. I think the most the most memorable stories and movies, they're they're always about the team that won that were at a disadvantage in some way. Yeah, >> I I can understand why why a team wants to have all the best equipment and all the best costumes and matching, but the best stories are the ones where the underdog, the person who didn't have all the money or the best equipment or the matching costumes. Those are the stories where heroes are born. Those are the stories that that make it onto the the big screen, you know. >> So, there is something to be said for fighting the fight, whatever it might be, and not having all the advantages that everyone else has. And I'm not advocating that we that we don't do something about it, but but there's still some value in it, you know. >> Yeah. No, I understand that. uh just on the and we'll talk more about it, but I do understand the hesitation to bring things forward. People are worried about playing time. I'm also concerned about creating a back channel as opposed to encouraging folks to work through so that the feedback goes to the people who are directly involved. Um, I'm I'm a little uneasy about reinforcing not communicating with the coach or even at least the athletic director or the administration at the school level and taking it out of the school because it varies so much from school to school. At the same time, I acknowledge that there's a high level of discomfort where there's so much subjectivity to who gets playing time, who makes the team, all of that. And along those lines, this is somewhat related to fees. How can we support coaches in all of these things? Because they are in the middle between parents who want more, parents who want less, an administrator, a board, uh all while out of a lot of goodness in their heart, they're making sacrifices to support these young athletes. So, I don't want to lose sight of that piece. >> Yeah. Uh and and while I do want parents to have an avenue to communicate, it may make it harder on coaches as well. And how do we keep them in mind? Um as we look at this uh transparency and communication to parents is also on my mind. It may be in place, but I would like to understand what do parents see about the fees? Are they seeing exactly what I see? Do they get more detail? Is there some type of an accounting that that parents have access to? But I I've been wondering like what is it that I'm trying to accomplish and what is the val what are my values here in this? And I went to policy AA408 and these words stuck out to me under section 3F and 3G. preserve equal opportunity for all students and things that are required for participation. So really what I'd like to communicate to those who are determining fees is that while you have a commitment to excellence and so do we have sensitivity in your thoughtful stewardship before you put that number down with all the constraints of trying to predict a year out. I just that's the value that I'm trying to transmit. >> A balance, not victory at all costs. >> Correct. >> Maybe there's one of those underdog movies we could have everybody watch. >> There are a lot of them. There are a lot of >> And Brian can introduce it. Let's edit it. And >> And so I've been on the board three years. This will be my uh fourth time having the public hearing about fees. And correct me if I'm not remembering this correctly, but I do not remember more than two or three people ever coming to give public comment about fees. And I think I'm estimating high. Am I am I wrong? So, and by saying this, I um I I feel like >> um people might not be having a lot of heartache with fees, or else they might be, but just aren't having it at the same time that we're having the um I'm talking about parents, the people who are paying the fees, or they might just not be aware or I >> I would add that and maybe It's a matter of coming and publicly speaking and fear of repercussion. But I tend to see more one-on-one reach out like people will call me with their concerns more than I see them coming and speaking at a board meeting. >> We did have a big group like two years ago when our feet were way different than canyons and we had it was it was as big as I remember it. >> I do remember. I do think last year there was not hardly very many but I I received a ton of calls last year >> and so I think that you're right that people again I think people I know it's not great we but people feel they can't voice it so let's have a way they can do it anonymously and if it's one person on a team then we have no concern right and I don't personally have a concern one way or another I just want to make sure their voices heard >> but if administration sees like 10 people or 20 people in a program or complaining about a fee or something like that, then you can address it. I don't even need to see how many calls you get or what the calls are about. I really don't. I just want to be able to say to a patron, there is a way for you to have a voice and then you don't have to put your name to it. And and you all know you're getting complaints about coaches all the time because it's just crazy. I wouldn't want to be in that spot. But >> are you talking about other board members or administration receiving >> talking about administration would get them and they would I don't because I haven't every complaint needs to come to us but what I would like to do is say to a parent oh if you have a concern about a coach here is an avenue and then you all use it as information but not every complaint is valid and I I don't have enough information to say whether or not it's valid. out or not. >> I just a couple of thoughts. I don't want to overstate negativity around coaches. Uh there are certainly certain coaches that receive negative feedback, but I don't want to paint this picture where in general coaches are viewed negatively. That I don't think that's the case. Um that's not been my experience. The other is just that um I I I acknowledge again the concern about being able to be anonymous if you are a parent of an athlete because of the subjectivity involved. Um there are a number of people they can talk to without talking to the coach at at the school level. It's more easily solved closer to the issue than farther away. But it's also harder to address issues that are brought up anonymously than it is if they're not. So there's a trade-off. There's a loss of information when it's anonymous. And I I'm always wanting to address and solve a an issue and address a concern. and I feel less equipped to do that with anonymous concerns than with those that are attached to a school or a program. But at the same time, I acknowledge there is a broad culture in education in Utah, in athletics, of not wanting to rock the boat. And I I acknowledge that as well. So, we want good information to make good decisions. >> Yeah. And I don't think you need to act on every one of them. I think they feel just as as uneasy at talking to administration because they think it's going to get back. So, I just want a way that they can they can voice it and you you don't even need to tell the coach, oh, there's one person that complained about the fee or whatever, then it's not a it's probably shouldn't be brought to the coach. But if there's a law, then maybe you should look at it again. So just for clarity's sake, I think I would maybe view these differently. If we're creating an anonymous avenue, is that specifically to express concerns about fees or are you are you talking about something broader? Like >> I'm talking fees, but I'm wondering if >> cuz sometimes they're upset of the fee because what they're really upset is their kid got benched >> and >> and I'm I'm nervous about >> it could go to that. But again, >> that might become negative coaches like what Dr. Godfrey was talking about. I think maybe spans more than fees. And I want to be careful that we're not setting up like, oh, these coaches need it. We need a way to complain about them. I don't know that that's the topic and so I just want to make sure that >> I'm talking about we're talking about this. >> I'm talking about fees but I think you're right that other complaints would come but I think administration could just manage that. I don't think board members need to see it. Like I said they get complaints all the time and and they don't deal with every single one of them like especially if it's anonymous. If it's anonymous what can you do? The best thing we could maybe put a little thing. the best thing to do is talk to the coach, you know? I mean, the better you can do it closer. They just I just know that there's a whole bunch of people that have contacted me um that says, "Hey, you know, and that's the it was the biggest reason I voted against them last year." >> All right. Are have we hit what everybody was feeling like they wanted to clarify so that they can make a fee decision? I do have um a clarifying question. So, do we need to hold two public hearings or one public hearing? >> We're required to hold two public hearings. >> Okay. Is that USB code, state code, something? >> It's one hearing. >> That's law. Okay. Um, I had also gone to our fee policy, but there's nothing in it about holding hearings or the law associated with that. The only code I could come up with was for textbook fees and that code link doesn't really work. So, >> am I am I wrong about that? I understood that legally we had to hold two hearings. I'm hearing whispering over here that it may be one. I've heard various numbers associated with the cost of fees, the number of or the the the date by which this has to be approved, the number of hearings. So, we'll email that out to the board and give you a definitive answer to all of those questions. >> Can you tell me again about the link that is not working? >> It's on policy 408, AA48, and it's under 3E and it says textbook fees are waved for all eligible students in accordance with blank of the Utah code. It's got that squiggly line 53G-7-603 and I click on it and it just kind of goes to proposed. It says, you know, that there's proposed legislation. So maybe because it's still pending or something about the fees, >> we'll make sure that we correct that link. >> So let's just take another minute and talk about what are things that we could staff might be able to bring back for us and what are things that we need to decide. I think the first one is it okay to charge different fees for the same program based on the school requesting the fee. I think that's something we have to know before they make their presentation. It'll be really late in the game for us to say, uh, scratch that. You all have to choose the same number. But are you comfortable with programs bringing their own fees? Yes, I am. Yes. I don't want to restrict our schools. I understand that each school is different. So, I want to give them that flexibility. So, I'm okay with that. Two yeses. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Perfect. >> I'm I'm okay with them bringing, but at the same time, I should have the ability to question it. >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's your role as a board member. That's why we have to approve them. So, of course, you can question. Um, I think we've already answered that we would like to see what a narrow path to graduation without fees would look like, right? We have consensus there. Okay. >> As long as I would like the narrowest path. >> Okay. Yeah, we're going to bring the narrowest path we can come up with. >> Perfect. >> So, you have the extremes. >> Okay. So, can parents raise concerns without damaging relationships? We've talked about an avenue where parents can express concern with fees that are proposed anonymously. Um, I think if if the majority of the V board would like that, we could ask staff to propose a pathway for them to do that. Can I can I ask would it be helpful to get information from principles to see what they think about this teenly getting communications from parents and no retribution? Are they hearing nothing? like they might have a better sense than I could ever get of this. >> I will say that I have received calls as a board member asking for anonymity. >> I h I have as well, but I don't know what principles are getting. >> Is is the principal avenue working? Are they calling us and the principal? Cuz I can tell you I got a complaint and the principal was already aware. So, how much is are we redundant and maybe it's already working? the people I've talked to fill the the principles on the coach's side. And so like I think the anonymous can go in I think even administration doesn't it just goes back to the principal and the principal has tons of information from people who will share and people who won't and they can just say is this something I should be concerned with >> like I don't >> you're thinking like an email and then email it out to the right goes to principal the principal doesn't even need to say anything but if the principal continues to see this they have additional information I mean I would much rather them use their name. I much rather them go and talk to them. Even the coach, that's even the be a better way. They just don't feel like they can. And I personally and my situation, yeah, I feel that my daughter was retributed, you know, and because because dad has a has an opinion. But >> so we have a majority who are interested in hearing a pathway that parents can provide anonymous feedback in addition to coming and speaking at a hearing. >> Yes. But I would also like to add that the way I I just remember in last March Brad had uh sorry Mr. Sorenson had mentioned that um they visit with principles monthly about fees or you know bimonthly and so I would like to hear from the principles how's it going do they get a lot of complaints do they not get complaints I would like to hear the principal's view on that do we really need an avenue if we provide an avenue I would like it to be just at each high school I feel like so then we don't have to have this form that says what high school are you at and what sport does your kid play? And then we have to filter it out. I'd like there to be that anonymous avenue on each school website. Maybe that would be more helpful in filtering and if they want to keep it anonymous, we already know what school it's coming from. Does that make sense? >> Yes. Uh, can I make a proposal and then please tell me whether this meets your request and I worry that I may miss >> something that's been brought up. So tell me if I have uh I I am fueled by feedback. It's really important to me and I actively seek it out because people don't always say, "You know what? I think I'll talk with the superintendent and share directly what my feedback is." You know, I I I I have to really cultivate that sometimes and make sure that I get as much good feedback as I can so I'm making better decisions. Um, principles get a lot of feedback. People have different levels of comfort. Some will go directly to a coach and say, "I don't understand why you're charging this for that." Um, and it depends on the coach and it depends on the parent and it depends on the child's status on the team and that sort of thing. There can be lots of factors that come into play. An athletic director will receive feedback because that's one step removed. Principles get feedback all the time. They get feedback that is anonymous, not anonymous. Um, they have a lot, they have a real sense for how parents are feeling about things. So, I do think principles do a good job of being a pathway for parents. A lot of parents never contact a board member, never contact the district. They're working at the school level and principles have to sign off on the fees that have been proposed by their coaches. We don't get them directly from coaches. All of that comes from through principles. So that the proposed fees have been reviewed by principles who have this, who know their coaches, have worked with their athletic director, their assistant principal over athletics and the parents. We also have administrative assistants in the offices who are specifically working with arts and specifically working with athletics. So they will hear things from parents as well. Um, you've seen administrators at events all the time. I love being at events because you have, you've experienced this as well. you have conversations you'd never have that people wouldn't seek you out for the conversation, but now that you're there, they're going to say, "Hey, by the way, can't we get a speaker out here for the whatever and the, you know, it it's so there's a lot of feedback happening and the fees that you will see when Brad and Cody come back, the par the principles have signed off on based on feedback they've received. We have two channels for feedback right now that are already on our websites and that's the SOS uh site for me that goes directly to me and for those listening I read everyone and I'm the only one who sees them. >> And is that accessible to anyone or just an employee? >> Anybody. If you go on the superintendent spot or a page, then it gives you a link and it can be anonymous or not anonymous and I can interact with you either way. And I hear from both. I hear from parents, I hear from um employees, students just email me directly and say, uh, why don't you unblock this game that I want to play and we should have two weeks off for the Olympics and >> start school later. >> Start school later. Right. Um, >> why wasn't that on the counter to the two? >> Sometimes they just share their class project randomly with me and uh it's pretty cool. So, I think we have some other pathways and I like the idea of saying the best way to provide feedback is at the school level. If you'd like to provide anonymous feedback, here are two pathways for you to do that. Or we can just provide the SOS pathway. Um, we encourage you to provide your as much information as you can so we can follow up, provide your school and team and that sort of thing. >> That anonymous there's two. SOS is one. What was the other? I missed >> audit and fraud um hotline with the state. >> But I don't want a reporter that's fraud. So maybe just the SOS line because that starts a whole formal process. I mean >> if you want that maybe that satisfies me. I have to give some thought of that. But I mean I could say yeah contact this is the next level like >> the SOS line. >> So so if parents get an official notice of here are the fees and that's included on there. >> Does that address what you're looking for? >> I would be satisfied if that was even not on the letter but on the website like okay it was on the fee page. >> Okay. you have if you have concerns that you don't feel comfortable sharing please contact I would that would probably be that would satisfy me I I think the more you advertise it maybe the worse it becomes all a sudden maybe so lots of people don't even read the whole website but place I can say hey it's right there you can contact them but >> tell me how the rest of the board feels about this but I I like the idea of on the website not in the communication that goes out and a an encouragement to address it at the local level. And but here's another option for you. And then we're not opening a formal channel at the state where technically you can report to the state fraud hotline, to the district fraud hotline, or to the SOS. The SOS is the best way because I can forward a link, I can copy and paste, and I can I can >> I always call it the latter, but maybe you can phrase that in one letter. I'm the one sentence the your concerns about fee should first go to the teacher the coach and if you have additional concerns then an athletic director or principal but if you have further concerns kind yeah >> something like that I mean it's a long long l sentence but if I had that then I could point people to it and say you know here's one more avenue >> and that would satisfy me >> probably goes without saying but we would also reference opportunities for public input in our meetings there. >> Yeah, that's a great point. >> We might hold these meetings. >> Is anyone not satisfied with that? >> I like that. >> Okay. Um I think we have already answered that teams cannot make additional charges outside the voted fee >> unless we amend unless the fees are. Then the next question, can a fee be amended after we've approved it as a board? First of all, legally can it? Because I know we have our timeline. It can be, >> but you have to go through the full process. >> Oh, we have to have the hearings the hearings and >> and so it's you have to have two public meetings and any of our public meetings have a comment period associated with it. So, >> are they hearings or just a public? I think it's one. It's a hearing >> and and and >> I'm hearing public comment is enough, >> not a hearing. >> There are conflict. Let me just say this. The state >> you already told us we need >> the state the state made an exception last year and so there are conflicting documents online and so we need so it's not an internal issue. It's an external issue of having conflicting information still posted. So, I'll I'll send it to you. But here here's a here's a summary that I think is close enough. April 1st is the deadline. And and if it's not, we should probably still stick to that so that people know what to sign up and whether to sign up and they can plan. If we happen to have more time, then we can make a decision based on that. So let's assume April 1st, two public meetings, whether it's a formal hearing or public comment, we can structure that and we'll make sure the agenda reflects that, but there need to be two public meetings and it has to be um a public vote of the board and we'll send it out the way we've sent it out. We'll give notification of the meetings, the SOS line, communicating directly with your school, reach out to individual board members. will give a whole range of of of means for providing feedback. Does that address what you're looking for as board members? >> Well, I guess if we're talking about can a fee be amended after approval, that's a lot to go through for an amendment. >> Yes, we do not recommend, but it is possible. Is that a fair? >> If we've missed the mark, it's like, oh no, we forgot about Spanx. We need to include those. >> H >> use last year's. >> Yeah, they were all supposed to spend it that year on those students. >> Got to be matching. >> Okay. >> Um yeah, never mind. >> I'm going to skip the next one because I'm not sure about how do we protect coaches who are often in the middle. I think it's an important question. I'm not sure that I need it in order to approve fees. >> Okay, perfect. >> That could have taken off my concern. >> Okay, then how can parents see the way their fees are being used? And I think what you're saying is real time, right? like not just at the beginning like oh this much goes to costumes and this much goes to I don't know equipment but you're saying like is there a way for a parent to check in and see okay have we already spent all of our costume money for the year >> and they see the budget >> or even end of year >> end of year >> um now I understand that parents can go to this high school and ask for an accounting at any time But >> do they know that? >> I don't know that they know that and I don't know that it's asked enough that it >> there there are spend plans that we keep on file. We could include that as you know if you're you have the right to request information from the school. I don't know. >> But do so a spend plan says how I intend to use money. Is there a way or a document later that aligns reality with the original spin plan? >> Yeah, they can request that too. >> Okay. >> Do they know they can request? >> Is it enough to let them know that they can make that request or do you want it just to be standard practice at the end of the season? >> It is not uncommon for a principal to sit down with a parent who says, "Where did all those fees go?" because they pay hundreds of dollars and don't feel like they're getting the value. And so then they come to the principal and say, "I want to see the softball account." Softball just came to mind because I was talking about softball the other day. Um, and so then you go over the account with the parent and say, "Well, this is what they spent and this is what they spent and these were the buses." So, >> can we put a line on that same web page that says if you're have concerns about the budget, you can request it or some some wording. I think that'd be okay. Spending that would satisfy me. >> Yeah. As long as it's posted somewhere, I'd like it nice and big and bold along with also how you if you have concerns >> and it's nice for board members to be able to >> something to point to. welcome to go ask for this document. It exists. Okay. Um and then I feel like we've also talked a little bit about a report on what principles are hearing through these meetings, but Brad's already going to be I mean Mr. Sorenson will already be presenting to us next time. >> Um so he can feel free to >> include that. So my last question for the board is are you comfortable with this timeline? I understand that this was kind of my request that we start the conversation in this way and then that made our timeline tight. If you were uncomfortable voting the same night that you received feedback, um it would be important for us to know that so that we can create an additional opportunity for feedback on another night and then voting could happen in the same same timeline, but you don't have to do it the same night. >> So, I'm growing more and more concerned with voting on the same night. It just sends a picture. I went to the truth and taxation um workshop at the conference and it just it makes a perception that our minds already made up. >> At the same time like if we have as many people as last year it's probably appropriate but I don't know. >> So do you want to see how many people come to the first public comment and then decide if you'd like an additional meeting at that point? I'd rather vote on a different day, but I'd be okay with having a motion to vote in the next meeting. But >> I don't know if it could be a motion to vote in the next meeting because we would have that timeline issue of April 1st. I do think we could create an additional meeting if you would like. So, we would have we would all come together and give opportunity for public comment. So in our next meeting we got the fees and in the study session and had a hearing that wouldn't be enough time. >> You could you could allow for comments the first on the first meeting but that means they're commenting in the moment that they are hearing about things. So either they comment on the day they hear about it or you decide on the last day you're hearing comments or >> you can't do both >> or we add another meeting in between in advance or you decide based on the first feedback whether you're going to need another meeting before the deciding meeting the meeting when you decide >> can we find out if the states stick into April 1st I would have loved to have the fees tonight and have a hearing next time and a hearing in our study session and vote the end of March. >> And to be fair, that was the way staff presented it. >> Um, executive committee talked and >> wanted this was something that was a request made. We said before the next time I need another opportunity to talk about fees and so we added this. So if you need an extra meeting, we can do that. We can talk about it after next meeting. >> I I feel comfortable um voting on the fee schedule after on at the same meeting where we hear the second round of public comments. So the timeline that was that you set forth, I am very comfortable with that. Curious if at the our next meeting we'll be presented the fee schedule. Correct. Will it also be posted so people can go look at it at the same time? Okay. >> Yeah. The website will be live. >> Will be live before we get it or will be live that night or >> we'll make it live once you say okay we're okay to get feedback on these fees. Because the initial presentation you might say, "No, no, no. That's not what we want to do. We want to charge for the first level classes and we want this narrow path." So, you're going to tell us which version. >> Okay, got it. >> But, but you will have had the discussion in study session. So, if somebody's concerned about fees, they'll be able to see, oh, that's on the agenda and I'll have a chance to comment. So, I'm going to watch that presentation. I'm going to come for that presentation. >> Okay. >> And I'll and I'll see on YouTube what they're doing and then I'm going to comment. >> Does that make Did I answer your question? >> Does Yeah. I'm just thinking, you know, like I'm just thinking through it. It does make sense. >> We could like add public comment to a study session if you don't want to come or something like that. Well, let's let's have like I'm okay with commenting next time like get the fees and they can comment immediately and have that be one and then have because we we're uneasy with understanding if there is one or two, right? Is the state kind of gone back and forth on that? >> It's two public meetings and we'll we'll get clarity about the format. But in both of those public meetings, comments will be available. So whether it's a hearing or public comment, but we've just been talking about how people like to do it by other means and they can it doesn't mean that they can't have input. Perhaps their most powerful input will be talking with you individually. So there will be lots of different ways for them to give input over a six-w weekek period regardless of how we structure it. But we want to be sure that however we structure it, the board feels confident that you have the public input you need to make it a good decision. >> Okay. So, what I'm hearing is you're comfortable with the presentation on fees next week and making that public comment following the study session our first opportunity for feedback. >> Yes. Yes. >> And then we'll have another opportunity at the next business meeting and then a vote on the next everyone's okay with that. >> Yep. >> Wait a minute. Wait a minute. >> I I think we should >> public comment. >> So the next meeting is public and then the following meeting would be study session >> and then it has to be approved at the following meeting. >> Right. >> So you're saying >> so public >> public hearing and vote on the same night. I thought we have it on the >> That's what Daryl's trying not to do. >> Well, if we're talking about hearing, >> so we have to do that at the study session in the 1st of March. >> March 10th, we have >> public comment. >> We're going to have public comment at all three meetings. if if just >> one or two of them will have to also be a hearing where it's a formal hearing and you have to stay till everyone's had their chance and and all of that or or I don't remember all the rules but we will follow the hearing rules and >> the question is just do you feel like that's enough >> or do we need to add a meeting in there as well? We can we can >> I I do not feel like we need to add a meeting. Okay. >> Um, so hasn't haven't we voted on the same night as the public hearing for the past three it seems like that's how it's been done since I've been on the board is we've had the public hearing for the fees and then voted as a board in the general business meeting on the fee schedule. Am I mistaken? >> You're exactly right. But that's what is making the public sometimes upset is we're voting on the same night we're here. >> But I I'm so I just want to say I have not had anyone contact me and if anyone has been upset in my in district 7 about us voting on the fee schedule as this on the same night as having our public hearing. I am very interested because um the three times that that has happened that I've been on the board I have not heard from one of my constituents and so I am interested and if if there is a huge or I shouldn't say huge if there is a significant um number of stakeholders who are upset and um feel like this is um out of propriety I us to um have the hearing on the fee schedule, the public hearing the same night that we vote on the fee schedule. I hope that um they will light up my email and my phone. So, if we have an opportunity to hear public comment at the February 24th meeting and again on the March 10th meeting and then there is a vote on the 24th. That would be an extra opportunity to hear comment and I don't know that you could prohibit people from speaking if they chose to on that night because we have a public comment section. That's the problem is is they they'll come and speak one more time. But >> and if anyone complained about it, you could say, "Oh, this is actually an extra comment opportunity." I'd be so >> I would like if we have to have a formal public hearing, I would like that to be on the 10th, right in the middle, so we can have comments on the 24th and we can have comments the night we vote so that people can still come and comment. But the the official public hearing I would like to have on the 10th >> one hearing or two. >> So >> we're not sure yet. They're going to clarify >> these these two comments. Let me let me speak to both of those if there whether they're we're required to have one or two hearings. We'll have a hearing in the middle for sure. >> I would like to have a hearing in the middle for sure. And whether it's a formal hearing on the night that you would be deciding, people will be able to comment because that's the way we structure our meetings. So to Miss George's point, if we don't want to vote on the same night that there are comments, we would have to shut down comments. But if we've had which which we really can't do but three meetings where they can comment, six weeks where they can respond anonymously directly to you. So there there will be multiple pathways and um you can always call another meeting if on that last night you say we need a little time to process these comments we received. We're going to schedule a meeting not even on a Tuesday night in a couple of days we'll have another meeting because someone brought something up that we hadn't thought of. I think that's it's rem a remote possibility that you'll hear a concept that you haven't heard previously because we're going to advertise it so heavily and we're going to give such good information and multiple paths to provide feedback. But again, I want the structure to feel good to you and I know I'm giving you partial information, but if we're supposed to have two hearings, then we'll we'll still have the two formal hearings, but we'll definitely have one in the middle. So it's before a decision. Wait, I'm gesturing to you guys. So it's after the discussion and before the decision right there in the middle. We will absolutely have a formal public hearing in between those two meetings. >> To just clarify the way we structure our agenda, when there's something on the agenda, public are allowed to come and comment on those agenda items anyways, right? So when we vote on something, they can comment no matter what. So, we have the general public comment section for those listening, >> but then we have it for specific issues as well, which I think is reflective of the board's sincere desire to act on public input right up to the last decision. >> Great. Hopefully, this has been a productive conversation. Um, I appreciate everyone's feed feedback. Thank you. This is just in keeping with uh the calendar policy D207. Uh we're in need of a new parent rep for the Haramman feeder system. We have parent reps from each of our six high school feeder systems. Uh you'll find on board book the recommendation. Uh this parent has been recommended um has been a PTA active in the PTA and has I believe currently has students at each uh all three levels. So we're just seeking confirmation from the board on that. I move that we approve this new parent representative from the Haramman feeder system. >> I second. >> Have a motion by Mr. Barnett, a second by Miss Dean to approve the parent recommendation for an addition to our calendar committee. Um, any discussion? >> I have some questions. Um, so it mentions that like PTA and other groups recommend people. Who are the other groups? That's it's typically school community council, PTA, um people affiliated with the groups. We talk with administrators to get names of people that are affiliated with those those groups. So in this case, this person was um has been working with the PTAs at different levels and was recommended by school administrators. We reached out to her and um she was >> If someone was not active in school community council or PTA, but they showed an interest in serving on a calendar committee, how could they potentially throw their hat in the ring, >> reach out to their board member? >> Yeah, we've had parents reach out to board members. We've had parents inquire with the calendar committee about how they could be active and they could provide feedback. Even if you're not a calendar committee member, you can certainly provide feedback. We we do surveys, but if they are interested in the calendar committee, um they can reach out to a board member, uh school administrator, calendar committee, and we can put them point them in the right direction. >> The one in my area, Mountain Ridge, did that. He reached out to me and said he was great. He'd be interested. he was on community councils but not PT. >> The policy leaves it broad enough and gives examples but other groups leaves it, you know, pretty open as long as they're affiliated with schools and are familiar. We want people that are familiar with the system that have had >> perhaps had students in there but but have a working understanding of how schools work and how the calendar impacts families and schools. >> So I guess those are just kind of the requirements, right? you should probably have kids in the system and uh understand what's going on >> and and I don't even know that there are requirements, you know what I mean? Those are those are things that are helpful, very helpful, and those are things that recommend people to participate. >> Thank you. >> Y welcome. I do really like the idea, just to tag on to what you're saying, of like maybe putting out a Facebook post or something that says, "Hey, we're looking for a new member of our calendar committee." I somehow I saw something like that and had the opportunity to serve on calendar committee and it kind of started me on a trajectory to what I'm doing now. Um, I do think what you're saying lands for me. Like sometimes it's someone who would be willing who doesn't know that the opportunities are there or that a a principal didn't think to suggest or whatever. I I think it would be great to use parent square and the feeder system when that feeder system is needing um like send out to the parents or the people in >> if you're interested mentioning system because I feel like that would narrow it whereas um social media it's not the targeted audience but yeah I think that's a great idea. know why social media wouldn't be a targeted audience. But I think it's more important that we let people know that they even have a representative because I think the majority of people don't even know there is a calendar person that represents you as a community. And if we could advertise that then I think it would advertise. >> That's cool. >> I've talked to them. You know, we just need I think the whole time I was on the calendar committee, I don't think I got one call. And and so if we could advertise that they do have a representative, this is how you can contact them and then I think then people would naturally, you know, say, "Hey, that's something I'd be interested in." >> So Darl, you haven't even contacted your calendar rep about eclipses. >> I have. >> Okay. >> So you do wasn't contacted. >> Yeah, I think that's called rage baiting. Yeah, I did contact them about that. But that's a I mean that's I >> Do you mean I'm rage baiting >> or >> to to ask the eclipse? >> Oh to bring >> let's put on notice in two or in eight years from now this meeting should be suspended. >> Yeah, cuz I want to watch the Olympics. >> I will I will point out I'm just teasing. just because he loves the he loves the eclipse. Which do you love more, the Olympics or the eclipse? >> Oh, it will be the Olympics for sure. >> Okay. Oh, your tie is an Olympics tie, not an eclipse tie. >> Yeah. >> Um, if you do I I will say that if you look at the calendar page >> before you even get to the calendars, >> there's a paragraph that says each each feeder is represented. This is the process. Here's a link to the policy. So sometimes I wonder why we don't have the calendars first, but you've just validated that we do set a context for how it's created right on the and I would guess that every single parent in this district has gone to that calendar page at least once to >> and every one of them skip >> scroll right on down to get to what they needed. >> Hey, I can't keep I can't make people read the that part of the page, but we do put it out there. >> I mean, I think even the like we used to do the Friday fun fact, just do something like that. say, "Did you know that you have a counter representative?" You know, and you know, or we have little blogs that we put on our website, you know, I mean, people probably still won't see it, but it would be cool if one of them got a call. That's my goal that one of them gets a call this year. >> Well, we do send out we do send out the survey as well. So, I I think we work we do work hard to get the feedback, but I understand what you're saying. It's a lot to keep track of when you're also keeping track of school age kids. Once they send submit it to us, the feedback to the calendaring committee doesn't really help much because we're the ones that adjust it. So really, they need to know ahead of time. >> So now my curiosity has peaked. Are the names of the committee members accessible to the public? >> If you look on the the website, they are all on there. They're uh listed by name and they you can email any of the calendar committee members. Their email is linked there and it will go directly to their personal email. >> The more you know. Thank you. >> The less you read. >> Way. >> I'm outing myself. >> Okay. >> Did we need a vote on did we vote? >> Need a vote. >> We think we have >> there was a motion and yeah. >> Oh, this was all discussion. I'm glad you caught me up to where I'm at. I'm like we did. Nope. I presented a vote. Okay. All those in favor of approving the new member of the calendar committee say I. I. And any opposed say nay. Motion passes unanimously. Okay. I am really making a concerted effort to get us a break at 6:00. Um just so there's a built-in time that you can plan on. So we have 5 minutes until that happens. Would you like to go on and then pause mid discussion or would you like to break early? >> Break. >> Let's >> Yeah, these look like heavy discussion items on the agenda. >> Okay. >> But but I think there are some logistical considerations. Yeah, that's Yeah, >> we could do we could do like board reports move uh >> or we could go into >> I think we can >> you want to just keep going and then I'll just pause. >> Okay, perfect. >> All right, then let's move on to a continued discussion on underenrolled schools on the watch list. Um and we will turn it to Mr. Barnett. >> Thank you. So facilities committee is looking at under enenrollment issues across the district. We've started with the West Jordan High feeder system. Policy A13, which is entitled school consolidation and closure, mentions that the that the facilities committee is tasked with researching and creating recommendations for the board when the 5-year enrollment projection data indicates that a school will be at or below 50% of capacity. So, there's there are two sets of maps on board book. One of them contains the current percentages and the other set of maps contains the forecasted percentages over the next five years. The forecasted percentages is what triggers A13 school consolidation and closures and that's what the facilities committee has started um to look into. So, yeah, based on these uh five-year projections, there are some schools in the West Jordan High Feeder system and in some other feeders as well. Um, where these five-year pro projections indicate that at least one school will be at or below 50% and the surrounding schools are at or below 65% capacity. In our last facilities committee meeting, we spent over an hour looking at the situation and there were lots of ideas shared. We can do this. We can do this. Um, some of them were just very simple. Well, maybe simple is the wrong word, but they were less aggressive than other suggestions that were made. And I quickly realized that if we wanted as a committee to bring back to the board recommendations across the full spectrum of what our options are, it would first of all it would take I think too much time and second of all I think some of it would be wasted time and and so what the facilities committee is looking for from the board is kind of what's What's the appetite of the board as it relates to addressing underenrollment in um currently in the West Jordan High School feeder system? Two or three years ago, we did close an elementary school in West Jordan High School feeder. >> It was it was more than four years ago. I think it was in it was before I was on the board, >> but it wasn't because of under enrollment >> cuz they had no floor. >> Yeah. >> It was it was a safety issue. >> The decision not to rebuild was related to under enrollment. >> Okay. And if you've had a chance to look through some of the maps there, somewhere within the next 5 years, there will be several schools at or below 50% enrollment in that feeder. And so what the facilities committee is asking for is does the board want facilities to aggressively address that issue or just incrementally one at a time kind of a thing or or do we want to try to kind of solve the problem all at once? We we'd prefer not to spend time looking at recommendations across the whole spectrum of options. I also did also want to um I wanted to mention as well that sometimes people ask you know why do we need to close schools at all? You know why does it matter if a school is at or below 50%. Um, I wanted to mention three reasons and if there are others, it might be good to to share those as well. But one of the reasons is is from a financial standpoint. Mr. Larson shared with us in our last uh facilities committee meeting that it costs roughly just under $1.5 million a year to have an elementary school opened. Even if there's just one student attending, that's what the cost would be to the taxpayers. So there is a financial consideration. Another consideration is that curriculums become or offerings become limited. a school isn't able to offer some classes because there aren't enough students um that are interested to warrant a full class. And the third one is class and teacher flexibility. So ideally ideally an elementary school has three classes per grade to allow students and parents to find the best fit. minimum vi viable situation I believe is two classes per grade and when you get below 50% capacity sometimes you're bumping up against that. So that would be the response if someone's asking, you know, why why do why do we even consider closing a school at all? And the last thing I wanted to mention is we don't as as a district and as staff, we don't automatically just jump right to let's close a school. There's a lot of considerations prior to that. Um the most common is just aggressive boundary changes. Um, aggressive boundary changes of course means typically means that we're pocket busting students from a a higher enrollment area to a lower enrollment area. But I just wanted you know anyone who's listening to to not just think that we're school closure happy that that there is a lot of thought that goes into this. So the question is what is the the appetite of the board for addressing this issue? Can I ask a quick clarifying question before we get into that? So the documents on board book say current enrollment use capacity is that saying as the schools are being used today this is the percent. So for example, if a school has decided to make one of their classrooms into a music room, then that would show their school as if it was fuller than if that was still a classroom. Am I is that right? >> Yes. For the purposes of that map where it says current enrollment percentage of use capacity, the use capacity is outlined by how the school is using it for special programs for a wellness room, computer lab, things like that that it's used for something other than a traditional classroom and and that's what that dictates use capacity. When it comes to um >> or it could be the opposite end, they have a bunch of portables. So now it looks like they have more space than they actually do. I >> if they're using those portables, use capacity as part of that. >> I really struggle with that every time we talk about building use. I feel like I'm not comparing apples to apples because I can skew the numbers based on how I assign space at a given school. Does that make sense? >> Yes. I would say that we're never trying to skew the numbers like, oh, let's make it look like we're using more than we are or less than we are. But it can be you can end up with a picture that's difficult to compare from school to school because one school's using it this way and and I think this is always a point for to start a conversation and I was working with another board member on uh capacity of a school. So what we we do is we have the administrator of schools walk through the school with the principal to say, "Okay, how's this being used? How's that being used?" Because like a gas, schools will fill whatever space you you give. >> And they should >> and they should they shouldn't be keeping those classrooms closed just in case. >> So um I take your point. I I it it's it's never to to manipulate the numbers, but sometimes it can be difficult to compare because we don't know what does current use mean. So the percentage just means we need to drill down deeper. If there's if if if a school if we have questions about a school based on the percentage or just on based on what we know about the school, then we may need to ask some other questions >> because use will vary >> and and it depends on who you talk to. um is a health and wellness room an an expectation is a faculty room an expectation is a >> you know that sort of thing. So >> you just have to know the capacity document. These numbers do not stand alone. They are related to the capacity document. You do have to look up and say is that percentage an accurate reflection? I'm going to go to the capacity doc. Well, now I know all the information is available in the in the capacity document. >> So, are you suggesting that the number to look at is the architectural plan? >> No, I'm suggesting that this this number if it alerts you, you go to the capacity document to understand how crowded is this school, >> how empty >> I don't want to change any of the numbers. I want to put the burden on the board member to say that says 70% but that school is more empty than it than that reflects. >> I also think that each capacity tells a different story. Um when it comes to permits, state law requires us that any school that's over capacity and by the way they they define that as architectural like the building itself. Anything beyond that is over capacity by by definition. portables make it over capacity if we've got them on there. So, we use use capacity, we have architectural capacity, um there are different ways and different means that we use capacities for. So, if I had an underenrolled school, I would relish that I didn't have to hold specials on the stage and I would put that in a classroom and I think they should. But I also understand that now that school looks a little fuller on this document than it actually is because not everybody has that luxury. >> I think the difference is that might be one school in your area. In this area, we've had this problem for the 20 years I followed the board thing. We we just don't have the courage to close the school. Well, we were lucky in the last one that they would have closed anyways because >> we chose not to build. I mean, >> well, we chose not to build, but the courage to close a school is pretty hard. And we've gone through all this work to identify and every year we get the new report and it's worse. And this has been ongoing. And I mean, I've followed the board for 20 more than 20 years and we've tried to close up schools and we've never had the courage to do it. Other districts are even worse than us. So, the question really comes with, do we have the appetite to do what we should for taxpayers and actually close schools? And in this case, we do have one school that has a significant amount of work to do to make it safe. >> And this is just a a minor thing, but I feel like saying worse implies something is bad. I feel like it's just different choices rather than something good or or bad. I think other school districts get to choose whether or not to close elementary schools. And if they keep underenrolled schools open, that's not necessarily a worse or bad thing, but it's just a thing that they're doing. And I think that um declining enrollment, it's not necessarily something it's it's a different thing. Um because I Anyway, >> so I think it's something bad because if it's costing $1.4 $4 million to keep a school open and they only have 200 kids and we even put a magnet program that could bring more people and actually it's done the opposite that more people are permitting out of the school than coming to the school. It's a great program but why don't we have that program in a full school where more kids could have access to it, you know, but we're trying to avoid the problem. The problem is that the reality is we have a declining population and the whole district and now this glaring problems that's been there for decades is just staring at us bad. >> Do we have a school with only 200 students? I'd like >> oh >> and we're we're financing it at a higher >> we don't we don't >> we do not >> to what what's majestic? >> They're in the 300s. Well, I know Granite just left one open with 200. We provided >> 300 is pretty low for a school that can. So I I hope that we can keep this discussion high level at this point and conceptual rather than talking about specifics because if we are planning on taking a less aggressive approach, I would hate to alarm schools unnecessarily. So, as we continue this conversation, if if we'll keep that in mind where you can >> Well, and there's one area that's blaring big, but there's other areas they're popping up. So, this is this is going to be a bigger and bigger issue if we're going to watch out for taxpayer money. I'm not saying I mean, I I looked at that area. We could close four elementaryaries, maybe. It'd be pretty full. I'm not not I'm not a fan of that. >> And one thing that I um think is helpful in our consolidation policy is not just to look at one school but look at surrounding schools. Um, so the way our policy reads is five-year enrollment projection data indicates this school will be at or below 50% of capacity and surrounding schools will be at or below 65% of capacity because I know we have like the random anomaly. Here we're looking at a picture that has both of those things. So, a boundary adjustment probably wouldn't make a lot of sense in this scenario because we're they're also underenrolled schools. Can I go back to an earlier point that you made about um capacity? There was a point where when we did districtwide boundary changes that there were three categories, Bryce or John, Daryl, someone who was around that time might remember the categories, but it was like extreme. That meant you were using the media center to meet in you were meeting on the stage. You were So we defined what you're talking about. Um extreme would be no health and wellness room. The rotations are on the stage and then there was like um a ideal Yeah. No no computer lab. Um you're rotating every 3 weeks um when we had year- round schools instead of leaving empty. So there was never an empty classroom. So there was there were kind of three categories and we talked about the specifics that you've brought up. Um all rotations happen in the classroom. So the music teacher comes into the classroom there. I thought you might be able to pull it. What were the names of the categories? >> Um extended and extreme. >> Extended and extreme. So extended was so so we had categories and we could say the extended capacity is this. It's just how granular do you want to get? How technical do you want to get? Or do you want to just say this is at 75%, what does that actually mean for this particular school? Now that we've focused on this particular school, what more can you tell me about it? Um, but because we were doing district-wide boundary changes, constantly trying to compare, we needed these different categories of capacity to say, "Oh, that's the extended capacity or the extreme capacity." Thank you for pulling that up. And I think it's less of a concern when we have an underenrolled school, but when we're making decisions to keep schools over capacity and we're saying they're only at 95% with seven portables, but that's their current use. That's where I'm like, that is not a fair picture of what we're talking about here. So, anyways, I digress. I already made myself I already said those things. So, um, I would be uncomfortable taking an approach of let's close every school. I would prefer to be a little more conservative than that just to start the discussion. >> Our recommendations not to close every school. We sincer >> I'm sorry. Every school that could be proposed that have made it to the watch list. >> I should have explained that better. Um I I think it's useful for us to look at the experience of other districts and the um the influence of the legislature at this point. I think Granite is a good example of a district who was doing what was fiscally responsible and the legislature said let's split them. So they backed off. I'm not really interested in opening our district up to that conversation right now. >> The the conversation of being split as a district. Is that what you're talking about? >> Yeah. So, I would I would prefer not to close all four at once. >> I don't think that's what we're proposing. I think I think there's no doubt that a school needs to close. um we can get away with closing one. I think that two would be great and I think as a committee we said we could go up to three >> and we even like proposed well why don't we close three and build a brand new elementary in the area. Some of these elementaryaries are in shape, especially one of them. And uh if they had a new school that they could go to, that solves another issue for us because it's an area that will if they don't have it now, they will have aging school problems. >> Problem is the spot that it makes the most sense to rebuild isn't right in the hub. >> Well, then let's build in the hub. like let's build it where it's appropriate if we're going to build one >> because what we have to do is >> can we not get into the the weeds here? All all I'm looking for is a conservative approach incremental. Yeah. I I don't want to get into a discussion of well we can do this or we can build here or this school is struggling. >> I'd like to be as um as unaggressive as possible. So, so similar to what Nikki was saying, >> well, I I just want to leave it as unaggressive as possible. So, I don't want to be aggressive at all. >> My inclination is to avoid being severe as well. And while we look at balancing fiscal responsibility, I would point out we have a pioneer as our superintendent and I would be interested in hearing if we wanted to not close schools. What kind of solutions, creativity, innovations, whatever ideas he might have as we weigh the path forward >> for like a future Do we need CTE space? Could we use it? Is there another pro? I don't I don't even can't pretend to know, but he would know and might have some ideas. And I'd like to weigh that as we make decisions going forward. >> My preference is the midpoint between the conservative and the aggressive. >> I would agree. >> That's that would be my preference. I want to avoid the two edges and find somewhere right in the middle of those two and that would be my target. I would be a little bit more aggressive than conservative and a little bit more conservative than aggressive. >> But the point that this doesn't come up every year >> and if I could add in that innovation could go both directions. If if there's something innovative or exciting that could happen through consolidation, I would also like to consider that. And I'll throw out there that I'm not super interested in spending a lot of money on a school that needs updating for safety or even cosmetically if they're pretty underenrolled. Okay, great. We've heard from all four non-facility committee members. If there's if there's nothing else, this is perfect information for us to move forward. So, yeah, I appreciate that. Thank you very much. One one final question on this topic is we're wondering what the board's um position is on these maps that we have sharing those in a in a public way. Is is that something we are okay with or not? I I um as as a board member representing an area in those maps, I I do not want to cause undue concern um among my constituents. And so, while I want the public to be informed, I would um like to hold off on um releasing information that is not I mean I I understand that it's just data about forecasts, but I don't want to um can I just >> I don't want to imply anything. >> We should refer to those drafts as drafts. Uh they're they're drafts for a reason. they are marked as drafts >> if that >> and why did you want to clarify that Paul? >> Uh that because when they're drafts um we don't disseminate necessarily information when it's in draft form. >> Mhm. Yeah. Thank you. >> So these drafts Yeah. I would I I don't want to um disseminate these drafts. >> Would you be interested in taking them beyond the draft point and then diss >> Not at this time? No. Okay. >> I I am I want to be transparent. All that information is out there anyways. I can just make my own map if I need to. These schools are on our watch list. We release that. We release capacity levels. Why would we not be transparent with this? >> I I fully support Daryl um producing his own maps with the information that he is able to find publicly. I feel like he can do that. as a school district, as a board, I do not want to um move forward in releasing these drafts. >> And and and your main concern is that it might cause unnecessary anxiety or stress? >> Yes. I I'm curious with what Miss George said about the numbers and the percentages and the reflection that there's a lot more to it than just the numbers sitting here. And so my concern about publishing them would be we don't have the entire narrative to make sense of those numbers and may cause more questions than were prepared to answer. >> And thank you for saying that. Yeah. Undo speculation that could cause a lot of distress. Spec I mean speculation that is not necessarily what's going to happen. The board has not made a decision. We don't even have concrete options um presented to us right now. It's a draft, right? So yeah, >> I don't believe it's confidential in nature and we've talked about it public meeting. I these numbers are out there. I don't see any reason why we wouldn't be transparent >> that there is some legislation being discussed right now that would um make it beneficial for us to be strategic about when we release information about potential closures. >> We're not saying we're closing any of them. >> I understand that. releasing that we're >> that where the areas are that we are considering closure. >> They know the area. We've already talked about today and other >> in the best interest of this board >> talked about the area for 20 years. They know the area we're talking about. We haven't made any decisions on which school. I wouldn't want to make a decision on which school, but people know the area. I'm I'm interested in what the um other three board members think about um making these drafts into a form that could be publicly released. >> I have no problem making them available, but they do not make sense to the public. And so I don't want to make them available and then have to answer a thousand questions about what they mean. So for me, it's not at all. Uh, I don't want to hide them. I have There's nothing on here that I don't think the public couldn't or shouldn't have. My problem is this information is very complicated. It's hard for board members to keep track of what these numbers mean. And my only worry is that releasing these particular documents I have no problem with. I have no problem at all. But I think it's going to raise more questions than it's going to answer. I'm on the same page as Bryce because >> I have a hard time understanding these maps and I think then they're going to be interpreted and I don't know that they'll be interpreted in the same way that we intended. I I would I would want to provide this information to the public if I could be reasonably assured that 90% of the questions that we might get would be addressed in the documents. >> Yeah. And I think it kind of goes to what what Bryce was saying. He doesn't want confusion there and and a flurry of questions and unfounded speculation, >> people >> trying to transfer from schools that we're actually not intending to close because they speculated that we were. >> If we could make these documents understandable by the public, I I'd be fine. >> And I would just add that a lot of them are forecasts, right? We're we're predicting what numbers will be looking like, you know, >> Yeah. years into the future and so forecasts change all the time and so >> but we have said I can make my own maps right >> with public >> I have no problem with that >> said that >> well I said I don't have a problem with if you use public accessible information to make your own maps >> I mean because as a as a private citizen >> you get to do whatever you want and I don't want to infringe on that I mean as long as you're not using um documents that are drafts for or at drafts. Yeah, >> we release drafts all the time. So, I don't know. I I could see the concern. I don't trust me. And and we have what the question I think we all had is how aggressive we want to be. That's the bottom line. So, and I'm not even sure we decide. Did we decide like aggressive but not too aggressive? >> Brian said he got all the information. >> We had three that were leaning toward the conservative side and one that was in the middle. So, that's where we're going to frame our research. All right, let's go ahead and take a break um for 20 minutes. We'll come back at 650. Welcome back to the Jordan School District um study session. Today is still Tuesday, February 10th, 2026. Thanks for hanging out with us for um that brief break. We are going to jump right back in now with um agenda item 1F, a legislative review. We'll turn it to Miss Wood and Dr. Anderson. >> Well, I'm going to re I'm going to return it to Dr. Anderson. But but before I do that, just a reminder, I believe there are three of us. U Miss George, Miss Barrow, and I will be going up to Capitol Hill tomorrow. And then the following Wednesday, we'll be with our student body officers. So, looking forward to all those events and those of you who can make it. Um but Dr. Anderson, I'll give the rest of the time to you. >> Thank you. Um, today is or was day 22. Things are wrapped up there. So, if this were a football game, the legislative session was a football game. We would just be on the on the cusp of halftime. There is no halftime entertainment in the legislature, unfortunately. But day 22 of 45 and uh this there are as of this morning 869 bills introduced and uh if we're halfway there that is another record-breaking pace. This is a significant week because the appropriations subcommittees finish need to finish up this week with their recommendations which go to the executive appropriations who ultimately has the power and the say in how money is distributed. Uh the appropriations committees all make the recommendations. Utah is unique in this sense. The only legislature in the nation where every legislator is a part of a committee for or a a subcommittee for appropriations of something. Every legislator is on an appropriations committee. Thus, everyone has at least a say or a stake in the process. So that's uh but that's significant because today for example public education appropriations uh finalized their recommendations um and listen in on some of that. Mr. Larson was up there. Um and I just want to point out a couple of things that I I think were are significant. Um the JLC, the joint legislative committee comprised of USBA and USSA gave some talking points to public ed appropriations based on uh input from board members and superintendent. One of the priorities stated in there was a you know to fund special education uh that this is a mandate fulfillment, not just a line item. It's a requirement that we have to do. Uh another another um priority was the school fee replacement that was mentioned earlier in board meeting. The legislature had clawed back 17.5 million from the allocation of 35 million originally given in the school fee legislation and it was recommended that that money be restored. As Mr. Larson pointed out, it really hasn't left our coffers, but that was the intent was to claw back. And if you also remember overshadowing all of these public education appropriations uh recommendations and priorities is the 5% budget cut exercise. I want to emphasize that it is a budget cut exercise. We don't know exactly how that's going to happen or where that will end up, but there are a couple of things that may may uh raise some eyebrows and some concerns that were recommended from public ed approach appropes to executive appropriations. One of them is a proposed as part of this 5% exercise that digital teaching and learning grant goes away. The second one that might raise some concerns is that the teacher uh work days, the professional days, the 32 hours as it's commonly referred to, it was proposed that that that be cut in half. Not cut entirely, but cut in half. Was that right? Was it half? >> 44%. >> 44%. So, there was some talk about what to do with a flexible allocation. And I want to give a a shout out to Representative Miller who who made sure that it was not on uh the proposed cut list and whereas before you know it was unsure. So she she did a good job of making bringing that up and I want to give a thanks to her for that. Flexible allocation is our most flexible budget item as the name implies and it's important to have that. Um, I'm going to go through a couple of bills if that's okay. And if there are any questions on any of them, please feel free to interject at any time. And if there are other bills that you'd like to bring up or talk about, happy to to look at those as well. First bill I think uh that that is of note for the school board is HB236. This is U. Representative Peterson and and Senator McCay. This is deals with property tax uh notifications for truth and taxation hearings. What it requires school boards to do is to create a failsafe plan um that they can prove that they can operate on a base budget in case the uh the proposed truth and taxation plan does not go through. Um this bill is was supported by JLC only mainly because it was the it was the best of all of the bad property tax bills. Um so supporting this so hopefully the others that are out there do not pass. It did pass the house um unanimously this afternoon >> like 72 to zero. So >> what if you prove that you can't >> you can't function without it >> pro. So are we just really required to two budgets? Is that really the bottom line? >> Yeah, that would be what it would mean in essence is a budget. What would happen if it didn't pass? What would happen if this does pass? Like if we need to raise it, we would say, "Okay, if this doesn't pass, we're going to freeze teacher salaries. We're going to lay off x amount of teachers and add to the classroom." >> And if it does, then >> right, it just needs a you need a fall back plan. >> Senate Bill 241 is the known as the literacy bill. This is part of the governor's initiative and one of the priorities of of uh both his office and and legislative leadership. It's being run by Senator Milner and it passed out a Senate committee that uh this last week and this is the one that that makes the goal kind of that that big target of 80% proficiency for third grade reading by the year 2030. And there that's comprised of three three times a year benchmark assessments or thrice yearly as they are saying up there. Um there is an impact uh for schools in this bill. In order to pay for these uh for the resource get the resources to do meet these goals, one part of the bill requires that schools failing to meet reading goals must allocate 50% of their TSSA funding towards evidence-based literacy interventions. Um side note on that, most of our elementary schools that would be in that category already do. you you know that because you see their TSSA plans. >> I'm interested in looking at how much of our TSSA plans are already I mean I feel like when I read them a good proportion have money set aside to pay for reading supports >> especially personnel. >> Yeah, we I pulled a couple of plans and looked at it with one of our elementary AOS's and it looked like well over half of their budget was was committed to that in many cases. Um the this is part of the bill is also the student retention uh portion of it that students not meeting uh reading benchmarks could be retained in third in grade three. There are exemptions for that um for considering retention and it also stipulates that eleas's school districts need to consider retaining students in kindergarten, first and second grade as well if they're not on target. how so you could retain even if a student hadn't had the opportunities for the interventions because I thought the way I read it I thought it was saying they had to have like proven um intervention in between >> Yes. And but and if that's not happening like if if they're doing those interventions in K through two then the way that the it's in lines 11 through 15 if you'd like to read the bill but that's where it would be it requires considering retention in earlier grades lines 11 through 15 on that bill. >> Interesting. Um, can parents opt out of this testing in elementary school >> if it's a a statemandated test >> like a cadience? >> Yeah. >> No, >> no, there's no an opt out for that. >> There's no opt out. >> Thought you could talk to your principal or something. >> Maybe it's a different testing. >> Yeah. Um there's also a lot of money from the state level being allocated to that that source of that funding important to point out is $15 million from the stabilization account the ESA and there is an interesting requirement in this bill that school districts would be required to provide letters training to charter schools living within their districts boundaries. >> Why are we in support of this? the district would the districts would um get there's funding formulas to adjust uh to to pay for the training of those charter schools. >> Can I ask why we are supporting this? >> We support literacy, don't we? >> No. want our students to be literate. >> Well, here's my problem. Here's my problem. We've talked in the past that our standards are higher than the national standards. Now, we're going to take well, even if we succeed, we're going to take 20% of our CU students, and we're going to emotionally discard them, telling them they're so dumb they have to stay behind. We financially can't afford that anyways. I mean, if we're going to go do that, let's go to a competencybased education system, which we should anyways, but I think that this can do damage to the kids well-being, you know. So, and we're not even using a national standard. >> I think this bill did change that so that it's considered proficient if you're on grade level. Right. I I read that correctly. I'm bad at reading these. >> Didn't you say we had to get 80 80% >> Utah's Utah's, you know, definition of ongrade level is among the most robust in the nation. >> But for the purposes of retention, it looked like it wasn't just above proficient, it was also proficient. >> I thought it was below proficient. >> So, there's like four categories that you could get rated in Aadians. So there's um well below below proficient and above proficient and so in USBA to be considered reading on grade level you have to be above proficient but in this bill at least from what I saw it looked like they did include proficient and above proficient. So it did lower that goalpost a little. Oh, please correct me if I'm wrong about that. That's what I that's what I read. >> That's my understanding. Another thing that I'm still I need some clarification on this bill and I don't know if anyone has it until it goes to rules, but it talks about if a student comes in for their testing um at the beginning or middle of the year and scores below that the district is then responsible for supplying materials to the family to catch their child up. And I'm really curious what that means. What materials, what kind of cost are we looking at there? Are we buying curriculum? Is this providing them with books? Is it opening up our libraries? I'm just not sure what that looks like. >> It can't be technology because we're taking that away from kids. >> That one did advance this week, didn't it? So I And there's no more clarity there, right? I can look into that and we can report back on that. >> I I assume we won't really have a clear picture until we see it defined in rules, but that's another just looming potential expense and responsibility that districts are going to need to absorb. Can I ask a clarifying question if you know um on the part where you mentioned that it would be mandated that 50% of TSSA funding go toward um literacy interventions? Was there like a timeline on that? Like you get so many years to be at 80% and then if you don't like every year if you're not. >> There is a there is a timeline on it. this the requirements for the reading on grade level are by 2030 and so >> Oh, so if they're not up to that by 2030, then they have to start doing the 50%. >> Yeah, I hesitate to say exactly how that would work because that's going to be defined and a lot of it's going to be defined in state board rule, but the essence is that the entire state would be on grade level by 2030. >> Well, and we're okay with school districts >> training charters. It seems like the charter board should train charters. I mean, this is a bill I wouldn't support. Charters are okay with that. Um, I know of some charters who would like to be training us. So I I do think that the reason for that number is it's like the bill goes into effect the and then the first group of kindergarteners would be in third grade before does that make sense? >> Wouldn't go effective this year's third graders. >> Exactly. So the the kindergarteners next year would be in third grade the year that the accountability measures start. So we wouldn't have to start retaining. >> Don't get me wrong, but I think even a lot of the special learning problems we never discover till like the fourth or fifth grade. Um and so I mean >> I just remember once in a science project our teacher lined us up from the ones that she liked to the least liked and I was last. And it for a long time it made me feel like I was stupid and that I didn't. And that's what I think we're going to do with this. If it ever happens, I think what will happen is we'll go down this path and realize that's a mistake. If a parent wants to retain them, that's good. I think it should be a conversation, but I don't know. I mean, Arizona tried this and they were going to hold back half their third graders and they realized they can't afford it. Um, I'm all for competency base, but let's do it across the board. Let's do it with every year. But anyways, that's that's my concerns with this bill. >> Are there is there anything in the bill that talks about like parent, you know, involvement and whether they could choose whether or not to retain their child? The language in the bill deals with um there are unless they qualify for what's called a good cause exemption and that is yet to be defined as well. But there are ex exceptions and exemptions for that. I would also add that you know a lot of a lot of educators feel like by third grade it's better to retain them earlier on in in the early grades in order to make the real uh get have the best effect >> earlier than third grade. Well, give an advantage on the football field, that's for sure. >> Yeah. And then, um, moving on, there's a HP70. This is Representative Ship's bill. Uh, this deals with with referendums on schoolboard decisions. This bill would re allow for referendums on any school board decision, virtually any school to board decision that's not made with a supermajority. In the case of this board, it would be any decision not made by a five to seven vote or more. >> Five to two, sorry, five to seven would be a a losing endeavor. 5 to2 because of the seven member board. And uh we talked with representative uh ship today or this week I should say and earlier this week and just expressed our concerns with some of this. um really that one uh one person could nullify the the process if it was a 4 to3 vote because if one person refers it for referendum that kicks into effect a seven you know there's seven days they have to do it then there's a 45day signature gathering and in essence by the time our tax rate needs to be certified all of that that would make any tax that we passed as a board four to three null and void and wouldn't be able to take effect till the next year. >> Stuff. >> Well, that's for >> taxation is subject to that timeline, but it but like if you did a school boundary change, then you would have more time, but they could file a referendum on that decision. >> Um, >> but it had to be across the board. Like if we're going to close a school, you'd have to get people throughout the district to support a referendum, right? Well, in that case, then the referendum would have to get the signatures to make it to a ballot, right? But in the case of a truth and taxation, it doesn't matter the result of the referendum, how many signatures they gather because we are outside of the window. So, one person who files a referendum can overrule an elected body. So on anything like if we decided it was a >> only on a truth and taxation because that's the only one that has that stringent timeline. >> If it was like a a boundary then they would have to get the signatures >> right >> to get what they want. >> But essentially you could get signatures and do a referendum on whatever you wanted >> and you'd be on pause for 45 days or more to see if they gathered the signatures. If we didn't have five votes on the court, if we >> This is on a four to three scenario only. If it were a five to2 vote, then that is not subject to referendum. >> A lot of pressure on that last person. >> Representative Ship was willing to look for other ways to deal with the timeline. But that's just a huge concern to me that we're saying one person's discontent can overrule a a majority of elected board members. >> Mr. Anderson, Dr. Anderson's aware of this. I still think it has constitutional issues. Um, but we don't need to go into that. >> Yeah. I'm I'm interested in though if it passes, would that be when you had to point out the constitutional? >> I mean, somebody could sue the legislature if they pass an unconstitutional bill or make an unconstitutional statute. As we've seen in the past couple years, there have been lawsuits for constitutionality. Right. >> Correct. So, so I mean it would it would subject the legislature to litigation. >> Well, I don't know that you'd have to do it right away, but it would be an option should it become an issue that it could still be challenged for constitutionality. >> Yeah. He just when we spoke to him seemed like, well, then do a better job of getting your board on your side. And I it just sits wrong with me that somebody who is undecided has to vote potentially against their conscience because that's the only way to make it referendum proof. I hate that. >> Okay. Um, another bill that's uh getting a lot of attention is HB273. This is known as the Balance Act. It passed out of committee last night. That's the one that would tar the amount of screen time available for students in K3 and 456 and then middle school and high school. And it's a kind of a no, for example, in the K3 there are no one to ones that can be assigned. Um students um can't take devices home and screen time would be limited to computer science standards or state assessments. No techbased homework that can be sent home. um exception and then it goes up from there. Exceptions um you know for virtual schools are not this is not applicable to virtual schools and it's not applicable uh or carveouts for 504 and IEP students. Um HB293 is the known as the you know kind of the high school activities association. This is the bill that we referenced last time. It passed out of committee earlier this week 12 to2. Uh this bill adds a week of uh summer moratorum and reduces practice hours from 20 to 15 and adds four more weeks at the end of the season. Uh this passed the house uh with an overwhelming majority just about an hour ago. So it's on to the Senate committee to be heard. It looks to have a lot of momentum. >> What was the number on that one? >> That was HP 293. And then uh wrapping up uh HB4 467 is just the people ask about this. So it's the Utah fits all scholarship modifications. Um unclear at this point. I think the big question is how much more money might be allocated toward that? And the answer is I don't know at this point. I'm hearing a lot of concern about the carveouts that this bill adds to the definition of schools that fit the scholarship. Are you hearing like movement on the bill? Are are they softening that language or so far? >> I haven't seen any any new new subs for the bill. get my eyes on that and and we're watching that one, but I haven't seen the any modifications as of yet. >> It's an interesting one because um Utah Parents United are pretty passionately opposed to this one. >> What number is it? >> HB467. >> And then uh HB24 >> takes out like virtual schools and um home schools. Am I remembering that right? It does tighten the parameters of who qualifies for what amount based on whether it's a private school, home school, and then younger students in home school. So there it kind of breaks it down by level. >> And you can't receive this scholarship if you're receiving virtual school, right? >> Correct. If you're enrolled in any type of LEA, then you wouldn't be you wouldn't be eligible for it. You have to declare that you're going to be and then you'd get no money. HP241 is the um the bill we've talked about in the past where uh it adds charter schools uh on par with cities for having a first right of refusal for a school district that is disposing of property or surplusing property. It passed out of the house this afternoon uh with a pretty wide margin. Um it will go on to the Senate committee. Uh the latest version of it lifted the limits that cities, counties, and towns have for population density. It used to be that only cities with a certain population density would qualify for having a first right of refusal action. Um that that requirement has been lifted entirely. So any city, any town, any county has the right to pursue that as well as the charter schools. and she added language that actually increases their right um because some cities apparently didn't get first right of refusal based on population or other factors. So unfortunately we lost an ally through that. >> If we closed the school but didn't declare it surplus, would that require us to sell it? But we could use it for a warehouse or >> Yeah, you can repurpose. It's just for disposition sale or leasing a property, I believe. >> Open. Okay. >> Um yeah, that's and then just to clarify, you know, and I mentioned earlier on the opt outs for um Aadians. There are different types K through three or one through grades one through three are required by the state and parents can opt out of those. It's also offered at grades four, five, and six. And that is not a state required test. So it's a local ad locally administered test and they cannot opt out of ecadians in those grades. So just to clarify that. >> So what about um places like private schools? Are they required to administer a cadence testing? I don't think private schools are but because they wouldn't be I mean they can do their thing and if they receive state money public money I would I would bet that they can >> depends on how you define receive >> right >> if it comes through a scholarship then they didn't receive it but >> thank you any other any questions on any other bills >> I have some um What about HB440? Why are we opposing that? It's a school lunch amendment. >> Um, this is a bill HB440 is uh Representative Oxier's um bill on requiring this puts a lot of uh there's a lot of requirements put on school community councils and requires them to discuss. There's a there's a target a school lunch target is defined in code that by a a certain date within 5 years a school must have a reach the target of recess first and then a required 20 minutes of of lunchtime afterwards. And it imposes on the school community councils a lot of requirements to look into research. they have to post and publish to the uh state board what they've looked into for school lunch practices and u so that I think that's just some of the talking points when it was talked about in JLC of why they would oppose that it's quite heavy >> I just add it's a at JLC it was strongly felt that this is a local decision um a lot of factors go into that our district has chosen to make it so local at school by school because you're looking at the number of students enrolled in a building when you look at scheduling. Um so I definitely think if there's an appetite locally to make these changes then they're welcome to but a state law feels like an overreach. >> Yeah. For example, >> all these are overreach as well >> to to the JLC group. I um Representative Auxier did come and present this bill at JLC and that was you just asked why it was opposed and that was the feedback I heard. >> Yeah. For example, it would require an additional meeting for the school community council to have at least annually to plan how the school I'm reading from lines 122 through 128. how the school can work towards achieving the school lunch target goal and comply with the requirements of the intended goal. And if they don't do it, they need to write a letter to the state board indicating why they chose not to. >> Do you do you feel that most of our kids are getting adequate time to eat? I think I think school community councils regularly look at that and and school principles look at that on a routine basis and the answer has been different for each uh there been different answers at different schools. I think kids have the opportunity to eat. Uh, this bill would also actually require a common table in the middle of the lunchroom where unused food could be given and put on the tables for others to come and eat and take, which would require also a monitoring by the school to um make sure that allergies, other health conditions were um >> and they didn't do that. I thought there's health reasons we couldn't do that. I think it stipulates that it would be it's an open table is what they call it and it's described as being unopened sealed food. >> So because it sounds like to me that because it got in the weeds and started defining too much it it died >> it hasn't it hasn't even died in the terms of support. >> Yeah it it hasn't yeah it hasn't been heard in the house ed committee. It's been assigned to the education committee but as of yet hasn't been heard. Um, when we increased passing periods in our high school this year, did we take that extra time from lunch? Because I'm hearing that we took the extra time for passing periods from lunch. And so lunch in the high schools are super short. School lunch times were uniform were put on a uniform uh basis and that meant a couple of extra minutes less from couple schools. >> School other schools could have got an increase. schools got an increase the same now. Okay. >> Hey, that helps. Then I had another one. It's crossed out. The artificial turf placement modifications. What's that? >> Uh that was that was voted down in committee. This was uh an example of a bill that came as a result of a kind of a very very local issue where a community was not happy about an artificial turf field coming in because it presented a heat island and they didn't like the plastics and the rubbers and the smell from that the artificial turf imposed on their community. And so this representative ran that bill to to it would have required school districts to meet with community members prior to installing new artificial turf. That vote that was voted down in committee. >> Is that still alive that by do not think it will ever see the light of day this session again? >> So >> obviously it's not like turf isn't that way anymore. So, I have I have a question on a a bill HB uh 528. I don't know if you've looked at it. It's local school board reporting. And to me, it looks like it requires an LEA to report enrollment data to the state board. Um, do you have any thoughts on >> I haven't looked at it. It's still in rules at this point. If a bill is still in rules, it may not even get out. It's hard to say, but I have not looked at this one yet. Thanks. >> Sometimes I just look through the bills looking for any that >> keywords and Yeah, >> for sure. >> There's a bill that I might just add. There's one that I think is going to help us. It's uh SB 167. This uh we've worked with JJ CCJJ and Juvenile Justice Center um in working with that. Senator McCay is sponsoring it. It it modifies the timelines and requirements for reintegration plans for students who have committed serious offenses and made the sharing of data more uh required amongst LEAs so that students transferring between districts aren't don't fall through and somehow get in a dangerous student or someone that's been being adjudicated would get in. uh it requires a higher level of communication and the ELEAS have been working together with CCJJ on that and it's uh looks like it's it's a good bill. I think it's going to help us in that regard. So >> so much Dr. Anderson. >> Thank you. Let's move on to a review of board policies. We are on GP 108 and we'll try to get through 110. >> Thank Thank you. 108 is about assembling the agenda. We have tried something new this year that's not necessarily in policy. Um what we'd really like to do is talk about our practice as well as the policy. So if you want to pull up 108 and any thoughts you have about the policy. But then in addition to that, we'd like to know how you feel about the process. One of my biggest concerns. Um, one of my biggest concerns is that all board members feel confident at being able to get something on the agenda. Everyone needs to feel that that ability that I can get something on an agenda for discussion. So if our practice doesn't facilitate that, I'd love to know. But let's start with the let's start with the policy. Any suggestions or recommendations to GP 108? Oh, I was just going to say I remember us going through 108 fairly quickly and I had some notes about some things from our last meeting, but so you in in a uh we had talked about how it listed town halls etc etc and so I would recommend we create a new sentence that says the Calendar may also include community etc etc. Okay, I think we were kind of about done with 108. All right, now 109. Let's start with the agenda and then we can talk our current practice. So that was my question was when it at a when it says board members shall contact the board executive committee in writing um when they want to request items to be placed on the agenda. I'm curious our views on whether the tracking document constitutes contacting in writing. >> I I believe it does. >> It saves on postage. And if we can we just talk for a minute. How has your experience with the tracking document been? is I'm just curious if it's something we want to continue moving forward. >> I I would like to continue using it. I appreciate that this board this executive committee put it into place. Am I right? And I I just am not in the habit of looking at it or um putting items on it as um as a regular habit. And I appreciate too being able to put items on there and then um when members of executive committee reach out to me and ask for clarification. And sometimes it's not necessary to have an item on the on an agenda. So I I appreciate it. And um whenever I see somebody else has something on there, I generally like to add my name so that there's another board member who wants it on the agenda. I'm happy to be a second or third to anybody's requested agenda item. >> I would like it I don't know kind of cleaned up. I think there's stuff on here still that we've already gone through and so it would be nice to kind up and I don't know how often executive committee looks at it every single meeting. >> Okay, great. then it I feel like it's working then probably I have >> well and you might find like oh I don't remember adding this but if people speak to at least to me I don't know Bryce and Brian's practice but if someone talks to me I usually go straight on and add it to the agenda under that person's name or the tracking document just so I have a place to track like I don't forget something. So, we've hesit >> was so and so satisfied that we did that and so we'll >> we've talked about taking it off, but if there's any reason at all to leave it on, we do. >> We just hide the rows >> rather than removing >> tab. It's tabbed that we move them to. Yeah. resolve agenda items. >> Does the executive committee feel like you're getting enough feedback from us or should we step up our suggestions asking for >> My concern is more do you feel like because sometimes we'll talk about it and say maybe this is a good one to assign to a committee or to um start with an email or whatever and I want to make sure that you're feeling like well that wasn't what I asked. I asked for it on the agenda and they chose a different route. So that's a concern that I have. I want to make sure that you feel like it's we're being responsive. We try to add I you have to scroll pretty far, but the status area um is where you could look at what that conversation held in executive committee. So that leads me to item C at the end. It says board members and superintendent will be notified if their agenda item is not included. I have stricken that in my draft version of this as a suggestion. Do you feel like you should or do board members feel like they should be notified when they add something to that document and it's not heard? Is that the practice? >> Nope. >> I mean that that's exactly what I'm asking because sometimes and honestly a four C4 was where I was like ooh because it says an item will automatically be placed on the agenda for the next meeting upon written request of three or more board members. That was where I was like, okay, now we really need to define if this tracking document is written request and now we have three people on it. Are you saying you need that at the next board meeting? Because that's where it's tricky is when people go on and they've added their name and maybe it's been on there for a while and suddenly a third name is there and we're like, "Oh no, when did >> when did that get added?" And are we following our policy? Because that that can be a little bit tricky to track when the names are put. We usually see when there's a new >> should we put should we put the date by our names when we second or third or whatever on the when someone else suggests. >> Okay. that would be helpful >> because I think that would be an easy >> and I think sometimes you might be saying I'd like to start a discussion about this. I know at times I have said let's make sure that this is addressed by the board and I put it there. I don't I'm okay if it's not an agenda item. If like it I know that a committee is working on it or like it's being addressed in some way. I'm comfortable with that, but there's not really a way to indicate that on this document. >> So, I think that a lot of these um policies are written for a board that's not healthy. You know, um I don't use the document very much, but um everything that I've ever wanted and more are on our agendas. Our agendas are awesome. I don't I don't see like the executive committee shutting me out and so I have to go get other people to support me to force you to put it on the >> but there was a time when that did happen. >> There was a time and I got four votes and it still didn't get on there. But but I I think that we ought to probably still leave it in there even though that's not our practice because the board could get unhealthy. There's many boards around the state that really need those kinds of things and we might need it in the future. You just don't know. But I really appreciate the executive committee and the rest of the board because I don't remember a time that besides that that was early on that everything that I've ever wanted is makes it and if it doesn't make it next time I expressed that I wanted something and I'm not concerned when it comes because you might need time to gather more information and so but I like it on there in case the board is adver you know >> it's Just interesting this >> on the agenda for the next meeting is pretty >> maybe we just change it um on on a agenda on on an upcoming agenda. Just leave it at that. >> That's a good idea. Paul, >> I I I think the intent is if three people really want something on the agenda, they should request at a specific time. I think you need to just add some clarity and even on your document. um maybe we want it um as soon as as possible versus it's just a topic. That's what I'm hearing is that that just needs some clarification. >> And maybe in that case, if you want it on the next meeting, it needs to be a different format besides the tracking document. >> That's what I think. I don't think the tracking document will count in that circumstance. If you feel an urgency and you have the support of two others, you need to submit a formal written request. >> So, can we clean up that line to read in that way? >> Yeah. >> Let's just ask. >> Are other board members comfortable with that? >> Formal written includes an email that that Okay. Yeah. It just means it's separate from the tracking document. >> But it doesn't mean everyone I'm only going to use that if I feel that you guys are going to shut me out. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Hopefully that's just an absolute extreme situation. >> I don't mind it being there. I think the >> several times it's not on the agenda. This is urgent. Executive committee is shutting me out now. I'm going to take matters in my own hands. I >> mean, I don't request that much anyways. Most of the things I want, you guys have already thought of. I think I think there have been a couple examples where where we've had three or more board members who want something and we've brought it up in executive committee and we've determined as far as timing goes that we need to give staff at least one additional meeting before we add it. And I I think Nikki sometimes you've mentioned that you've reached out to the person and kind of let them know that we >> we do try to but I am not request ignored an issue where three board members >> put their name on it but we haven't put it we haven't always put it immediately on the agenda for reasons we discussed with the superintendent. >> I'm comfortable going to the document to see your comments of why it's not on the agenda. I don't today feel like I need a phone call. If I felt like I needed that, I would reach out directly to you. And and please know I and I I hope I speak for all members of the executive committee. It's if that is happening, if you're feeling unheard, it's not intentional. Like maybe something has slipped through the cracks. So please point it out. I would I would be so grateful if you pointed out. Hey, I asked for this and I'm not seeing it. >> Um, that'll just move it front of mind for me, >> but I will try. >> I think you're doing a great job, but there could be a time in the future that >> we got to safeguard against that, but our practice will continue. >> Okay. Anything else about 109 110 public participation in board meetings? Before we go there, so sorry my 109 is so my formatting is weird the way that I've chosen to make notes. So I don't know if I understand D very well. Addendum usage should be as minimal as possible. >> Yeah, like today >> addendum will only be used when the item is operationally necessary. >> It's when we make a change after it's the not the public has been notified. Oh, like an addendum to the the actual >> today's agenda was an addendum agenda. >> Thank you. That Okay, that makes >> What did we add? >> We added the request for the trip. >> Oh, gotcha. >> That came out late. >> So maybe clarity on that >> meeting >> meeting agenda >> addendums to the published agenda something. >> I wondered if it meant attachments. That's what I thought it was too. I was like, what is this? Like the appendix. What is this? >> Maybe if we could just say changes. >> We'll just clarify after the public has been notified. >> Thank you. >> Addendum usage >> to the published agenda >> to the published agenda. >> Yeah. >> Is to at a at a you know minimal. I thought today was an excellent example of notification, urgency, all of that. Not make them wait two more weeks. So, today was a great example of how an addendum should work. >> Perfect. >> Okay. >> All right. Now, going on >> public participation in board meetings. We have given this policy a lot of attention over the years. We've uh we've this board has consistently felt strongly about hearing from the public and yet safeguard safeguarding you know decorum and safety and those types of issues any adjustments you would make to the policy. I was curious about a where it says I'm just going to start reading says prior to each special business item being brought to a vote members of the public are allowed to speak on the item after the board's discussion. >> I'm sorry. Could you tell me where you are? >> A very first sentence. Um what are the special business items? I feel like usually we maybe it's just because it's on special business item, but is what's the protocol normally for calling for comment on our agenda items? >> So, if it's not on the consent agenda or Oh, yeah. This will be easier if you look at how they're labeled. >> Everything listed here. >> Okay. >> She calls for a motion. She gets a second and then she is required to ask if there's anyone who came to speak on that issue. >> Okay. But it says after the board's discussion, >> but we don't we call for comment before we discuss. >> So that's why I'm confused. >> And honestly, I prefer listening to comment before discussion. So maybe that's a change we want to make. >> Sense, >> but that's at the president's discretion. >> It should not necessarily be specified. >> So maybe we should update that either before or after according to the the president's discretion. I don't know. >> Yeah, maybe just say >> it should say prior to the board's final decision. >> Oh, that's a good idea. >> During each special So, during each special business item being brought to a vote, members of the public are allowed to speak on the item prior to the board's final decision. >> I like that. >> Great. Thank you. That helps clarify my mind. >> C14 talks about mayors, county commissioners or design. >> Yes. >> Being notified of our our board meetings. And of course they can attend. And then it says and may participate in discussions at board meetings. >> And then it lists Utah code 53G. I was curious if that if if that meant that they have a seat at the table. Yeah. >> Is that is that what that means? That a mayor >> used to >> any of our mayors can attend this meeting and sit at the table >> and participate in discussions on any topic? >> Not on any topic. >> Is that what the code says, Paul? >> Um they they can come. Um I think they can they don't get a vote, but they can they can address the board. >> And it says may participate. That's at the discretion of the board president. We've allowed it. >> They don't necessarily have a right to participate. But we have had a mayor come and sit at the dis and participate in the discussion for a boundary change. >> Interesting. >> Had a mayor at the last uh budget meeting and he was the only patron in the audience. >> Yeah. And he sat for a long time before he got up >> and he spoke. I I don't think we've ever had to thank us too. I think I could see a problem with this if mayors overtook this. But um >> but if >> it's also in law. So >> yeah, if it's in code, what can we do? >> We've never had a problem. >> So I'm going to rewind a little. Can we go back to B? Uh, right now our practice, I'm afraid to bring it up because I know not everybody loves it, but is we also have email as an option to speak, but it doesn't look like that is included. >> Can I weigh in on that? >> Sure. Regardless of who has to read it, although I think John does a particularly good job, I feel like there are lots of avenues to give feedback. And I don't know that there was a time with CO where it was useful, I think, to be able to just send a comment and have someone else read it. But I think if it's read publicly feel like the person ought to >> come be there giving it. >> That's I think could we change it to something that like if you want to participate publicly on an issue you are welcome to um email each all board members. >> Oh please go ahead John. It it has felt a little awkward that I'm reading a comment you guys already received. It also felt a little weird when people in the audience I was reading their comment >> and they were >> it's yeah it's it's uh odd. >> So here is why I feel protective of this. I'll go back to when we had a really strong group during COVID who was coming frequently and I spoke to some constituents who said when there's such a strong voice in the room I am afraid to speak >> a feel like I am not safe to speak that has stayed with me I have wondered if there are people who feel afraid or maybe like I believe that social anxiety is real and that there are people for whom that is a wildly intimidating thing and I still think they deserve a voice and I think if they want a public voice they should have an avenue so I don't know if that's making phone call comments available or sticking with email but I feel very protect ective of someone's right to speak, even if they face something like that, even if it gets abused occasionally and someone's in the room and they're just making some making John read it. I I feel like um and I appreciate what you said. I I don't want people to be afraid. I want people to be able to have a voice and exercise that. I also think of um one of the characteristics of portrait of a graduate being an engaged citizen. And I I really value people being able to um be face to face with their elected representatives and and speak to them and to us. And I um so I feel like this is complicated. I prefer that people come and speak for themselves. I don't I was not on the this board during um any time that seemed like there was some kind of threat to safety of a speaker, but I can imagine very easily times where people would feel unsafe. So, I I would like personally my preference is that people come in and give their own public comment. And if that's not possible for them, I would rather have them say their own comment um remotely instead of sending in an email. I would argue that people might have jobs or, you know, are caretakers and they can't necessarily make a phone call at that time. They can't come in at that time and sending an email might be easier for them. Um, I also would just like to point out, at least for me, it is very hard to find that email to to make public comment. Like, it's not even on our board meetings page that I can see. Like, I have to go to policy to find that email. >> It's on our agenda. >> Oh, is it on the agenda? >> Yeah. >> Look at me paying attention. >> There at the top of every agenda. Oh, great. I hope other people have noticed that then because I didn't. I feel like it should also be on our board meetings page, but if this board is leaning away from the email option, then don't post it there. And and I feel like um we could even publicly acknowledge we have received and read emails from this person, this person, this person, and this person in a public meeting um to know to let people know that we have received emails and read them. Something else that I have sometimes been accused of is like a a group will come and speak strongly and unitedly and then they'll we vote differently than that group and then they accuse us and say every person here said this and you voted against every opinion in this room. And sometimes I think that it's useful to have emailed comments read aloud because it represents people who might be less likely to come when there's a very strong voice and they want to speak against it. I have particularly heard that from teachers that it's really hard for them to come and speak out against things. So I I and they don't that I would really um >> I just don't think it hurts us to do it. So if it helps anybody else in our community, why wouldn't we allow that opportunity? >> You mind if I just make one more comment about that? >> Of course. feel that if you this board listens better than any any group I've ever known. And I feel that if you email a comment for someone else to read, we can't really verify who you are. We don't know and you don't really have to own the comment, but you get a long a large megaphone without having to own what you said. And I'm I'm concerned about I'm concerned that that can be abused and that a vo voices can have a disproportionate influence with lower effort than those who show up to the meeting. And that's not to disparrage those who are caregivers or but it shows some effort to be here in person and to arrange your life to be here or even to have someone else read your comments and say, you know, we're here and I'm reading on behalf of the group or it's almost like someone's standing at the counter, but you say, hold on, I have a customer on the phone and then I'll be right with you. It's like if you're there, I feel like that that says something. And I worry a little bit about being able to email something in and not really have to own it and not even have your own name associated with it necessarily. But if you're here in person and you say who you are and where you're from and you it's just one other form of giving public input. But this board listens to people who one board member hearing from one person can impact policy with a board that's that has the approach that you do. So you don't have to have a public voice in order to have an impact. And I I just worry about the ownership. It's like an online comment. People are different online when they can just write it, but if you have to say it face to face with someone, that's a different kind of comment. and I place a different weight on something that I hear from someone standing a few feet from me instead of something that someone emailed in for someone else to read. Although there may be good reasons to that they needed to do that. And I do think line five addresses that a little that we put first priority to comments in person and then if time is permitted we add the online comments >> and I even think >> I do think we prioritize. >> Yeah. And I I was thinking about um committee meetings in the legislature. They they only well the ones I've been to I have not ever heard any emailed in comments read during the public comment time. It's either been people and they're on a some kind of thing where you even see them. They have to turn the video on while to verify this is an actual person and they have to put a face to their comment and they have to put their own self to the comment. I really appreciate the superintendent's um words about taking ownership having that comment. It belongs. It's verifiably belonging to that person who's making it. I I appreciate that a lot. I also just lest I sound insensitive, I've really um admired people who've spoken where it was clearly difficult for them to do so. They came and they made a comment and had prepared remarks and polished not polished. I admire when somebody does that. Agree, disagree. Um, there have been some harsh comments, but I still appreciate when someone will publicly convey and own that opinion. I respect that. And I know some people have gone to great effort to to try to do that. But that's not an argument against anything anyone here is saying. That's just um just my perspective. I am open to electronic comments if they're by phone or video or email, but I I I feel passionately that we need to have an avenue that allows someone who is at home with um hardships that we don't understand or work um restrictions that we don't understand. There are so many reasons that are justifiable that I think they still deserve a voice. >> So, it's not sufficient that they email us. It's important to you that this be read aloud publicly. >> I mean, the way that we're doing it right now, if we have more than 45 minutes of in-person comment, that's in our policy that it'll just get sent to us. and I'm comfortable with that. But if we aren't even using up our public time aotment for comment and we're not willing to listen, I I just for me that's an important value. And for me, I um it's hard for me to see a huge difference. Although I do love hearing Mr. Larson read these comments. Um, I feel like I might I get even more when I read them myself. And so the what the purpose of them being read out loud is that for the any observers to hear or that that's the purpose of it is for observers to hear, not necessarily for us to get the information from the person sending the email because like I like I said, I can read it and get the information. Although I I do like how you read them. Um it does that make sense? So it's so the reason we want them is for the public at large and for there to be a record of exactly what they emailed to be on the um video or whatever. That's the reason >> I I don't think that I get to speak for everyone, but I think I'm curious if that's an important addition to a meeting >> for for all the people to hear what the person who emailed in the Okay. So, it's not mainly just for the board to understand their point of view. It's for everybody else too also. Okay. You know, one one thing um perhaps if it's to a specific topic, there's more reason to read it, but to just have a general open forum and read whatever anybody read, you know, I I get it if if it's on a an agenda item, you know, maybe maybe that's more finite, but I mean there is a distinction between just opening up and people can say whatever they want. Well, that and and we have a provision. If it's not gerine to the authority of the board, it's not read. If it regards character or professional competency, it's not read. If it's not appropriate for all edge ages, it's not read. I think what I the answer I I haven't solved in my head is somebody sends an email and says Suzanne Wood and it wasn't me. Is that problematic? that somebody pretends to be somebody else because they're not in person. And I don't I don't know if that's a legitimate concern or not, but that's >> that's in my mind. >> If I'm honest, somebody standing up and saying a name in person doesn't guarantee who they are either. >> But you do have their face >> on video. I mean, >> well, and I mean, I think I've said my opinion enough. I if the majority of the board would like to do away with it, I will be sad, but I will live. So, >> I' I'd like to keep it on. I >> It doesn't hurt me to keep it on. >> The the three years I've been here, I haven't seen a problem. If if if it got to the point where some of these scenarios came up and we were getting people pretending to be someone or saying things that are inappropriate, then I might want to look at it again. But I I haven't seen anyone taking advantage of it. And I I saw one situation where um a person who was present in the meeting had emailed um public comments for Mr. Larson to read full of that that was not familyfriendly I should say and and they I don't know what their goal was if they just wanted to have and and so I see that as a a problem somebody emailing in comments while they are still sitting in the audience for Mr. Larson to read their email while they observe and then especially if they are um I don't know I can't say mal intent but sending something that should not be read at a um in a public meeting to make a point >> the policy prohibit prohibits that >> I was going to say at that point I hope Mr. Larson would say this comment feels inappropriate and I will email it to the board. >> Are you getting emails? >> And he didn't, but it did happen one time when somebody tried to do that and the policy did take care of it so that he didn't have to >> read it. But I also just think it is >> awkward to have people emailing in comments and being here. And I have not seen that widespread or and I don't know how to verify that. I it's just yeah people can email anything in. >> We could always add item D within number five and say at the at the discretion of the board president. So if there's anything that the policy doesn't cover that would >> Mr. Larson do you get comments in the meeting and then you read them or is there like a cut off period that you have? it. Well, according to number five here, it's supposed to be 3 PM. Um, there, which is always interesting in and of itself there, too, because if I get one at 3:01, >> do I >> can you ask the board and we'll say, "Sure, just read it." >> Or at the discretion of the board president. >> I have received comments uh after I left reading and went to sit back down. I'd receive a comment right there in my inbox right then and I'm like and it was about something that night and I'm like I've already set down >> okay so >> if there is a swear word am I allowed to go beep >> but only if you use a sound effect when you do it >> if there's a swear word it's not appropriate for all ages and it can be skipped >> and and I feel like if there is profanity in the email, I feel like you don't have to read the whole email if that makes any sense. I think any of it >> that is fine. If there is any content that I think you can remove personally, that's my opinion. If there is something that should not be read, then you we don't have to. We can all just read the email ourselves. >> Have you considered auditioning for audible.com? >> Use Can I ask >> use AI to read them? >> So, let's suppose hypothetically Mr. Larson gets four emails that say exactly the same thing. Should he read each of the four or could he read the one and then say all four names? >> I think it would be fine for him to say, "I receive four of the same content. Here are the names." >> Yeah, that's the spirit of if a group comes, they get six minutes, but they have to choose a representative. That's the same idea. >> Okay, >> here's a group. I'm going to read their comment. It's from these four people, >> but I'm hoping that that doesn't mean they get six minutes of email reading >> only if they request it. >> Can I clarify number 14? Are we done with that? >> The mayor thing. >> Let me read from Utah code. >> Perfect. >> Here is from Utah code. A lo a local school board shall allow an interested mayor and interested county executive to attend and participate in the local schoolboard discussions at a local schoolboard meeting that is open to the public. An interested county executive and interested mayor may attend and participate in local schoolboard discussions at a local schoolboard meeting that is closed to the public under and unless the the the law. But there's if if >> if is invited, he or she >> if the local school board invites the interested county executive or interested mayor to attend and participate and for a closed meeting held for the purpose of discussing the local school board's disposition or acquisition of real property. The interested county executive or interested mayor does not have a conflict of interest with respect to their real estate disposition or acquisition. So, it's an if and then and so both of those. It's an if that includes both of those. >> Really hope that Candice doesn't update that. >> Anyway, that's the that's the law. >> Any other comments on 110? >> Just out of curiosity, is that Paul, do you know if that's reciprocal? Could I go to a Bluffdale city council meeting and sit at the table? >> No. >> Shocking. It's not >> okay. Thank you everyone. Just to up you date you on our procedures, we have begun to meet. We are going to go through all of the GPS and then hopefully by the time this board is done reviewing the GPS, the following set of meetings can result in what we're bringing back. Can I make a couple comments? And my apologies because I forgot to make a comment on 108 that I wanted to. >> Sorry, it's too late. >> You're going to have to get three board members to agree. >> Right. An F. >> I have struck the word monthly. And I wanted to get the board's view on that. Conducting a review of our policies monthly. Do we want to compel ourselves to do that or do we want to leave the prerogative up to >> Well, we changed the the will to may. >> Oh, you did. Okay. >> And so that eliminates all of the We may hold a town meeting. We don't we won't we won't it's not we will hold a town meeting. We may hold a town meeting. We may do it monthly. >> Okay. Thank you. That does answer my question then. And then a general comment. Uh just for clarification for me as I've been reviewing policies, I've been a little bit confused and wondered if we might consider reabeling the first G or all the GPS board governance policies instead of board policies. Because where I've gotten confused is well, aren't these all board policies? And even in in F 2 one it says we'll we'll post on the calendar GPS BSC's and EEL policies and I wondered do we want to make that broader if we really own all policies would we why would we only review the governance policies? So two two points. Can we rename board policies board governance policies? And would we ever create a schedule where we would review the entirety of the policies that we own as opposed to just the governance ones? >> I'm not sure where you're looking at. What are you pointing to? >> F. Are you talking about F? Yes. >> And how it says that we'll conduct review GPS. >> Mhm. Gotcha. I I can understand that. I feel like GP like governance process like I feel that I don't think we need to rename the GPS necessarily. >> So when I go to our website, let me see if I can get to where I was. The title here says board policies and I click on board policies and it and it only lists the government governance ones. And what I'm suggesting is where it says board policies, should we call them board governance policies? >> I see what you're saying. >> Well, it's outside the policy. It's wouldn't need a vote for us. >> Mr. Vancoman, >> I think what uh >> um board member Wood is is talking about is is and this predates any of you here other than some of these, but um the way it's on the web page and the way it's sort of referred to as board policies, but all of the policies are board policies. Um but so under under the heading board of education, there's board policies. It doesn't say board governance policies, but it only refers to the GPS and some of the others. >> So, you're asking for a website change, not a policy change. >> Well, sort of a Yeah, sort of a naming structure. >> Technically, it's the policy manual that it calls it board policies. It just happens to be on our website. >> So, just change labelled that way as well to board governance policies because these are all the ones that govern the board or the board process. But technically, all of these policies we own. and they are our prerogative. So, all policies are board policies. >> That's a great change. That that's not a policy committee change. That's a website change. >> Okay. >> Well, I thought just cuz it's in the policy manual. It was >> for that. >> Not in my policy manual cuz I have the PDF version. >> Oh, okay. >> Okay. Thank you. We are done. >> I asked in our meeting to change some policies and got an explanation of why the numbers are so weird. Oh yeah, we have to numbers are different. We have to keep policies in place. We can't change numbers. So >> it just gets really hard >> even when you retire a policy. >> Yeah, because they have to refer to it at some point. >> Thank you. >> Great. Good discussions. Thank you. Um and thank you policy committee. You've definitely got a heavy lift in front of you with all of these comments. We appreciate you working on this. Okay. Uh let's move into board and superintendent reports and comments. >> No update yet from facilities. We're meeting in couple weeks, week and a half. And we've got some marching orders. So appreciate that. >> Uh finance committee will meet soon. We now have both projections. Is that right? >> Not yet. >> Okay. By the time we meet, we will have both projections. But we are waiting for one of them and that's kind of what triggers our January February meeting. So, but we will be meeting soon as soon as we get the second projection in. >> Keep going. >> Yeah. >> Utah High School Activities Association. I am saddened to announce that our director Rob Kloff is retiring. >> Long time. So if you know anyone that would be interested in that position, we are looking for highquality candidates, but those will be hard shoes to fill. >> Are you part of the hiring team? >> I am. >> Going to say, is that a conflict if they just raised them? So that's a rare uh opportunity for you to be part of a hiring process when there are >> when there's so little turnover in that position. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. The last the last board of trustees that was involved in the hiring process was 25 years ago. >> Yeah. Their meetings were held in black and white, I think. >> What was what was his name? >> Rob Kluff. >> Kluff. >> Kuff, I think it is. >> Cuff. Sorry. Kuff. CF Jeff Kluff. I always get those confused. Rob Kuff was >> Jeff Kloff. >> Was it Evan XL before him? >> Yeah, it was Evan Exel. >> Yeah, >> I know. >> Do you? >> He was a teacher at my high school and Jerry Boie who served with him is a good friend of mine. I was going to ask if Jerry was interested, but >> do you know Jerry Boie? >> Yeah. He went on to Weber State fame up there in Utah State, wasn't it? Yep. And we are starting the process of realignment. Are are we moving? Okay. back. >> So, oh well, I was going to start with that the Jordan Education Foundation Challenge Run is on the 9th of May and there are opportunities to participate. It's It's really fun. You can run it, you can walk it. Yeah, I've done it. It's very fun. My I make my kids do it. So, and there are also opportunities to volunteer and opportunities for corporate sponsorship if you're interested in any of that. And then yesterday, um moving on to another committee. Yesterday, we um I met with a um licensed educator advisory committee and um Bryce and Nikki also attended and um superintendent and deputy super superintendent. We talked about behavior in schools. I really appreciate teachers um taking time to come and talk to us about um what they are seeing in their schools as far as behavior. And I would just like to um share some of the um some of the ideas and and I didn't distinguish between um what is being used and is successful just because of time and what are ideas because some of the ideas are being used if that makes any sense. So, um, some of the things that, um, were shared that were showing success or were ideas for possible ways to address, um, behavior, difficult behavior in schools, was access to sports and intramurals that has been used in a couple middle schools. And then there were a couple things mentioned as far as um documenting different behaviors um on a on a spreadsheet or one school was using special tracking software. Um something that was talked about was using citizen using citizenship grades for um certain types of rewards and eligibility. Um and also um having referring to citizenship grades for interventions for behavior. Um, another thing and and the reason I'm sharing this is if there are members of school community councils or um teachers that are listening and if any of these things spark your interest, take them to your school community councils and um see if it's something that could be implemented at your at your school. So, um, and I thought this was interesting, too. Maybe having a table at school events, um, with, um, schedules, course schedules for the Jordan Family Education Center or with, um, family or parent education materials or help. Um, another another thing that was brought up was an intervention room or space. And this was more of an elementary school level thing with with some staff um just people were thinking of the administrative assistants in the front office having a a student there who might need some intervention. and maybe the awkwardness and that that could cause for them. Um, another thing was teachers using technology to limit what can be viewed on screens during class time. Um, instructional coaching as as far as teachers helping each other with um classroom management strategies. Um, something else was prioritizing family engagement and there was a big round of applause for the presence of counselors and psychologists in schools and I think that that was appreciated across the board as far as um helping with classroom behavior management. Um, and afterward I I just like this comment. A teacher approached me and told me how much they really appreciated their principal um having their back. The principal when they received complaints about teachers would ask the the parent, "Have you spoken to the teacher yet?" before they would move on with um whatever intervention they might do. And I I really appreciate administration supporting teachers and teachers seeing that support. So anyway, thanks again to the people who attended. I really appreciated you taking time to be there and tell us what you were thinking. Can I add a couple notes that I took that I don't think you mentioned or if you did. >> So I thought it was interesting that um the two things that at the high school level um that there was a lot of consensus around were first of all arena scheduling. I have never thought of arena scheduling as um an antecedent to behaviors but they said then friends are able to schedule in the same classes and it can cause some disruption which I don't know something we could consider. Um, and then I just was shocked at the amount of time when the the topic was behaviors, the amount of time that teachers chose to talk about attendance and the way that poor attendance affects behaviors in their classrooms. Um, I think those are two items that as a board we should maybe keep our eyes on for potential board action. Thank thank you for bringing that up because I thought it was very interesting as far as attendance when students miss out on the instruction and then they come back and then they're behind and the amount of time it takes for teachers to help them catch up and also the way they might act when they are behind and aren't understanding what is now happening in the instruction. Yeah, I I thought that that was interesting, too. And those are things that I I would like to discuss as a board, see if there are things that we could do as a board to support and help um our our schools with these issues. Is it an expectation for a teacher to help to spend time helping a student who has been absent intentionally? I don't know how to say it, but is that is that the expectation or is it the responsibility of the student and the parent to catch him up or her up? So it is it is not necessarily my expectation but I believe that frequently it is the students expectation that the teacher will help them catch up and I would imagine that um there are times when it is also the parents expectation that the um that the teacher will help them catch up even if they have an unexcused absence And and honestly, teachers I think I think they love their students. They love their subject matter and they want to help their students succeed. Absolutely. And so they feel um internally compelled by by the reasons that they teach to help the student um catch up. It is not my expectation. You know, I But I appreciate everything that teachers do do to it. It's not my expectation because that's not my business. >> That I do think that standardsbased grading has placed something of an expectation on teachers because students are able to repeat tests and to come in and resubmit assignments. So I think there is something of an expectation placed on teachers >> carve out time during the week for that on Fridays. >> I know. >> So teachers were in the classrooms when they first >> could be because that's what they're getting paid for. But that I mean we I think there is some bit of an expectation because of how we do things. >> I want I want to speak to Arena scheduling. Um I would love to know I know every school's different. I'd love to know if there's overall guidelines. I know in the school I taught this this year, arena schedule has blown up my classes because it's open for way too long after the terms up. I didn't even get class roles solidified till two weeks into this semester. In my 40 years of teaching, this was the very worst. And so I don't know if it's that school. I just don't know if it's our expectations. I I would be interested. It's been a long time since we've addressed that. We did address that a lot early on, but yeah, kids getting in the same class or some behavior problems. >> In many ways, it is a really good program schedule. >> What What are you What are you hoping to know about arena scheduling or change? >> Is there guidelines given because it's so different from every school? Are we given certain guidelines to make it more effective? Those kinds of things. So I I mean I don't know. I just kind of think it should be closed when the term starts. But when you have it wide open like we did at our school, then it just caused a lot of headaches. I I felt um I don't think I don't know if that's overall if we did that or if that's just one school's experience. I think I've asked questions in the past and was told that each school kind of sets their own boundaries for arena scheduling. So, um >> that's true. They they choose their own procedure. They do tend to open it up at the start of the year and at the beginning of the semester, but it's not just open for long periods of time. I don't think >> the beginning of the year it seemed like it closed when school started. The the second half they didn't. It was open for a week and it really made classes trickle down into the two week period before you could actually get a class. So I mean is that guidelines that the school that you address that with the school or is that guidelines that we can address as a district? Am I just seeing it wrong >> at the school level? I don't feel strongly on that, but I would love to have a discussion. >> I had just never considered it in terms of behavior. I've I've heard this before be when I've been on school community council at my kids high school and I've heard teachers and even parents talk about how students will adjust their schedule to all be in the same class together which creates a high level of comfort for the students >> a seating chart I don't Well, at the same time, I heard that one school's doing like arena scheduling before any registration, so they get to know what classes are wanted. And so, I thought that was a great idea. So, I don't know. I just don't know. And does this board govern that? I don't know. >> Yeah, it's a good question. Right now, it's a a school level decision. Um, if you want a further discussion about that, >> put it on the list. >> Put it on the list. >> On the track, >> three two others to >> So, the students like it because they can get in classes with their friends. The teachers don't like it. >> That's one. >> They're with their friends. >> It has been a lifesaving thing for my children >> to be able to choose their schedule. It has just been one of the I think it's one of the best things that we do >> and it's been >> we give them power to choose >> too because when my kids have been able to see which classes are available during this period that they need anyway I think it's very helpful I understand the challenges that it can present if you have a very you know a motivated group of students but um Yeah, I I like it too, Bryce. So, >> and I like it. I just experience >> I think there are pros and cons to everything and if there's a desire for further discussion, that's the purpose of Leak is to bring a perspective to the boardroom. So, all right. anything any other reports I will report on uh just PTA uh happenings. I really do enjoy going to the regional meetings. Um but we the the regional PTA has been talking a lot about the literacy initiative um that the governor has been talking a lot about. it's on everybody's mind and they pointed out that on the national PTA website, so just PTA.org, um, under they have a family reading experience programs and a whole bunch of resources there that PTAs could collaborate with their schools on having like a family reading night at the school and promoting literacy that way and helping just at their local levels. So, I thought that was a really great resource I wanted to share. And um the reflections awards, our regional will be uh holding their awards night next week and then in April they will be coming to present some awards at a business meeting. So, can I just make a comment about our region PTA? I I went to our um like PTA Day on the hill and I was eating lunch with our region six um board and they are so smart and so dedicated and so I I dedicated to advocacy for students and families and I appreciate that. They are just outstanding. So, >> yeah, I will also point out again that on the Utah PTA website, they do have their own legislative bill tracker of what the PTA's uh looking at, what they support and what they don't support, and that's also very helpful. So, I have something to report that's not part of a board assignment, but I think it'd be interesting for you to know. South Jordan City during 911 of 26 is going to celebrate the 25th anniversary of 911 and also the 250th anniversary of the nation. So they're bringing in a really um Jenny Taylor who's Brent Taylor's wife who was killed in combat up in Ogden. He's she's the one that does the big flags. They're going to bring almost kind of like an NFL live exhibit, you know, where kids can come in, see things talk. They have people that that were there at 911 that live in our community. So they asked me to be a part of the planning and so Jordan District will in some ways Dr. Godfrey is on this committee also. Well, we're going to ask that we'd like to have was it fifth, 8th and 11th graders to come and see it. the whole community can see it at any time anyways. But um and I think they're gonna ask for some some things from the district like maybe some transportation and stuff, but it's a huge community effort. We have all the businesses that are behind it and government officials and so it's not an assignment from the board. Mayor Ramsey just asked me to be a part of it. So I'll keep you informed. It's a week-long event. It starts the day after Labor Day and goes for a week. 911's among those days. So anyways, pretty cool >> and thank you for sharing that and as you shared that that reminded me how we had the presentation from the about America 250 in the district and maybe I should put it on the agenda tracker. I would love to hear what is happening and what is planned for our our students for that. I'm I'm not making this up, right? Somebody did come talk to us about America 250. Yeah. >> What are you talking about? >> Yeah. >> And I don't know if it's mostly for next school year, but I I'm >> that Okay. >> I think is it being presented in April? I can't remember when the awards are, but for America 250. But after that presentation, I went home and printed off one packet for my second grader and my sixth grader and I did 12th grade for myself that I hold myself accountable and we're going to try and do stuff. >> That's awesome. I think our board should do stuff. >> A book study. That's not my idea. That's me saying I like Daryl's idea. >> I will be in Washington DC. >> Cool. Um I can give a JLC USBA update. Um so at USBA committees are changed every year. So um I have been serving on the advocacy committee which has primarily been a focus on social media. I just got reassigned, so I haven't even started my committee work yet, but I will now be chairing the legislative committee. Um, that will give me an opportunity to um to talk more about some processes with like we planned the day on the hill, which just passed the USBA day on the hill. I thought it was a really good event. um mostly because Mike Anderson knows everyone and connected me to everyone that I wanted to talk to. But it was um a great event that will also be um the responsibility of that committee to plan the delegate assembly and pre-delegate assembly and then just working on JLC. So I'm excited to start that. Um in joint legislative committee we have been meeting every Friday at on the hill. Um attached to our legislative discussion tonight. We added the bills that JLC has taken positions on. Um and I do think that being on the hill has increased our facetime with legislators. So, in that way, even though it's kind of a hassle and out of the way to get up there, I think it's been a beneficial proc or exercise for us to move back over to the hill. Um, and I will spare you going through each of those bills individually as we've already had our own legislative review. But, um, I will thank you to Miss Dean for pointing out that she appreciated those updates. And so I will start every week as I get those, I'll forward them to the board and then we'll attach them onto the legislative update uh in board meetings so that you have a place to easily find them when you want to reference them. Okay, Dr. Godfrey, anything from the superintendent? You will get a full report in our next board meeting, but um this health and wellness day was the best we've had. Was awesome. >> Great feedback, great online feedback. Um more tickets, slots, activities available than ever before. Impromptu activities created at the school level. Um planned out, supported by staff there. There were cars at the schools themselves. I drove around to see and was thrilled to see that people were out doing things and >> they were doing things and uh activities filled up. Employees got to know each other that would never have known each other otherwise. It just it's a defining moment every year. It just makes us who we are. It's really good. Thank you for supporting that. um better and better lessons every year for families. Some of those activities may seem seem simple, but engaging in them makes a big difference. And uh anyway, I the meals I get thank yous for the meals always. Um so we really appreciate your support in that and we'll give you more details next time. But huge success and a thank you to um there are lots of people involved. But um student services foundation and lots of other lots of other individuals who've who've been part of that. So >> we were over at having our policy meeting at the Jordan Learning Center and they were getting their meals when we were there and everyone was just so thankful. But it was great. The thing I think I really walked away is the connection we're making with the community. I mean, we're doing great things for the teachers, but the connection what we're making with the community is phenomenal. And so, I just I loved it. I love that every kid I had a student that's a sweeper and he was invited, you know. So, I love that everybody was involved in it's a it's a great thing. One I think it's one of the best things that we do for our teachers. And remember it came at the time when we couldn't hire people. Remember when we had all those empty slots and we as a board said what's on their plate? What can we take off? What can we make how can we make their jobs better? And now all of a sudden we're in a position where too many applicants for one position. So I >> superintendent led this one up and his idea, but we backed it and I think it's made a huge difference in the lives of our employees. So thank you. >> We'll have more next time. Thank you. And I just wanted to point out that in the LEAK meeting um the board got applause for having counselors and Sykes and assistant principles in our elementary schools and the difference that's made. That was just spontaneous applause as someone mentioned it. So >> thank you. >> I love that they recognized that as a support. That's great. >> And they kept saying things like if that weren't the case, this conversation would be very different. >> That's right. >> So let's talk about what we're facing. I can't even imagine what we would be facing if that weren't in place. >> That's right. So, thank you for that. >> Can I ask a question? I've been reading a lot of um newspaper articles that are mentioning the disruption of ICE protests in different districts. I'm just curious, is this I mean, are we seeing a strong impact in our schools? I'm seeing boards come out with public statements and all sorts of things right now >> about ICE or about ICE protests. >> About ICE protests, students walking out of classes. We have taken the approach that making statements is simply advertising for those events and instead we have talked with school level staff principles and SRO's and others and if students organize we discourage them from leaving but we don't absolutely prevent them from leaving. We stay close enough to monitor safety but we don't get close enough so that we suddenly own the event. And so any students who protest have to be off campus to do that. And we've had some larger groups that have walked to another site in protest, but to my knowledge, it's been without incident that that's happened. There are class consequences for walking out, and we apply consequences as we would for other absences. Good to hear. Thank you. >> All right. Any others? Okay. Um, having reached the end of the agenda, wait, I have to do this correctly. Um, we can move into close session. And following the close session, we will stand adjourned. Did I do it right, Paul? >> Yeah. Yeah. Have somebody make that motion. >> Oh, it has to be a motion. >> I move that we go into close session for character and competence of individuals, property, potential litigation, negotiation, security here in this room at JTC South and that we adjourn as soon as that meeting is over. >> Second. Okay, we have a motion to go into close session. Following close session, the meeting will adjourn and we'll do a roll call vote. Um, Miss Dean, no. >> Hi, >> Miss Wood. >> Dr. Robinson, >> Pharaoh, >> yes. >> Mr. Deford, >> hi. >> Mr. Barnett, >> yes. >> And I am also a yes. So, we will adjourn this meeting following that close session. Thank you for attending.