The new high school that Wasatch County School District is constructing is well underway to being complete and, according to district officials, is on track to be finished in time to open for fall 2026.

Compared to an earlier look at the building given to representatives from different media groups in late last year, a similar tour taken with district officials last week showed that what had resembled a group of organized foundations last winter has now been solidified into the barebones of the current Wasatch High School.

An orchestra pit in the ground has been built into an auditorium, concretes and rebar have become a building and sections of the site have been worked into classrooms, shops and lecture halls within the last several months. Several components still remain to be finished — the auditorium, while recognizable, still needs a roof — but it’s coming along. And, according to Kirsta Albert, the district’s public information officer, it’s doing so within its anticipated timeline of completion and still expected to open in time for the 2026-27 school year. 

According to Superintendent Paul Sweat, the building’s resemblance to Wasatch County High School is no coincidence. He explained the same architectural design is being used, though with differences that came at the behest of teachers and other school staff who were given the opportunity to bend the district’s ear about things they think could improve.

That process gave birth to the current Wasatch High School design, which he said has been used by three other school districts around the state.

“Seventy percent of this building is patterned after the current Wasatch High. It’s the same architect, which helped us a lot,” he said. “Some of the components have been moved around. There’s a few things we changed, and we learned something living there for 14 years, some things that needed to change and that we wanted to change.” 

Still, he emphasized that just as the district was willing to tear a page from its book, it was willing to stick with the aspects of its buildings that had proved faithful to their students’ needs. Walking around the new site, he looked at sections of the building and recalled how similar they were to Wasatch County’s old high school, one he worked at as principal that’s been torn down for years.

One aspect of construction within the district that he pointed out was officials’ willingness to listen to teachers and principals rather than only administrators and final decision-makers.

“The standard in most districts is any time you let the principal and the teachers get involved, it just adds money to the process and drags it down,” he said. “We spent a lot of time with (Architect Curtis Livingston) at the old high school on 6th South talking about these types of issues.”

In the new school’s shop, he pointed out long bays built into the room’s walls. These, he explained, came from the district being willing to listen to their employees when the district went to construct Wasatch High School.

He said teachers came to the district with concerns that their shop material would sometimes arrive 40 feet long, making it impossible to haul it through hallways into the shop without getting stuck around corners.

“This was designed so it would come right off the truck,” Sweat said. “Then as it comes into the shop, it’s cut to order for whatever project it’s being made for.”

There are even differences between the two high schools. One, for example, is the new school’s focus on its common area and making sure the school is centralized. With the exception of classes that will be held at the school’s separate athletic center, most parts of the school will be built around the large centralized area. The lunch room itself will also serve as an overflow to the commons to allow room for more students.

“That’s one of the great things about plans,” Sweat said. “It’s made to draw the kids back to the center of the school at every pastime. So the kids come in, it’s easier to keep an eye on them and supervise them. And as big a campus as that is, you can pop back into the commons area and then go in any direction from there. It’s pretty functional that way.” 

Another change students and their families will see at the new high school will hopefully save some parents from having to pick a favorite child when the day comes that their different basketball games or wrestling matches happen on different courts at the same time in the athletic center’s auxiliary gyms.

The courts will be positioned so spectators can get a view of both gyms simultaneously.

“That’s one thing we did a little differently,” Sweat said. Instead of having two auxiliary gyms totally separate, there would be two in here, and you can sit on the bleachers and see both gyms,” Sweat said. “We have a lot of families that will have a girl playing on the JV team and maybe a freshman playing on the boy’s team, and they might be playing at the same time in two different gyms over at the other school.”

The district began construction on the high school in May 2023. According to an analysis released last year by the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, Wasatch County is expected to grow rapidly in the coming decades while other areas of the state are expected to stagnate or even shrink in student enrollment.

Wasatch County’s enrollment is predicted to increase by about 4,000 students, and the new high school is just one of the many projects on the district’s master plan list. 

The post New Wasatch County high school construction continues appeared first on Park Record.

Before the Park City School Board’s split vote last week to renew Superintendent Jill Gildea’s contract for two more years, she emerged as the only finalist for another job in Colorado.

It’s a question whether the board knew this, with potential contractual implications.

Colorado Early Colleges announced Tuesday that its board on Aug. 16 chose Gildea as the only remaining candidate for chief executive officer five days before a Park City board majority of members who dropped their reelection campaigns pushed through the controversial renewal on a 3-2 vote, with the only incumbents who will be on the board next year opposing.

School board President Andrew Caplan did not answer a question about whether the board knew Gildea had applied for other work. A stipulation in her 2023 contract appears to require she notify the board if she decides to seek other employment.

Instead he said Gildea “has been personally attacked by community members including yourself and your media colleagues. I hope that in your career you are never publicly vilified in the way she has been.”

He wrote in what he said was the full board’s comment: “Jill Gildea has served the children and community of Park City with distinction for six years. If she chooses to pursue employment elsewhere, the board wishes her the best of luck and thanks for her exemplary service to our schools.”

He declined to answer when asked if Gildea had told him or other board members about her search for other employment. The contract she signed in 2023 included a clause that says “Superintendent shall promptly notify the board should she elect to apply for other employment.” It’s in section 16 F, a paragraph largely devoted to what would happen if Gildea unilaterally chose to terminate her contract. The document is not readily clear whether the requirement is also true if the agreement ends through mutual agreement.

“I have made my statement,” Caplan said. “We will not be commenting further on personnel matters.”

When she voted to renew Gildea’s contract, board member Anne Peters said she did so with the consideration that the decision could save the district from a difficult search for a new superintendent. The new school board would have until Feb. 5, 2025, to notify Gildea if it did not wish to renew her contract, which would have elapsed that summer.    

Colorado Early Colleges’ website post includes Gildea’s resume, answers to a series of questions, and a cover letter, which is dated June 19. 

It was only a day later that Caplan first drew public pushback that started the months-long community conversation about the contract renewal when he announced that the board intended to renew her contract in August — while the departing majority could — in an interview June 20 on KPCW’s “Local News Hour.”

Other board members said he made the announcement without first consulting them.

Shortly after, community members started a Change.org petition asking the board to hold off on the decision until next year.

Board members Caplan, Peters and Wendy Crossland voted to renew the contract. All three of them began the year intending to run for another term in their positions, and all three of them dropped out of their reelection bids — Caplan and Crossland within a week of each other in May, and Peters in July.

Board members Meredith Reed and Nick Hill — who will remain on the board in 2025 — voted against the renewal, stating they wanted to wait until next year. Before the vote, all but one of the candidates for next year’s board also publicly spoke in hopes the board would leave the decision to them.  

In Gildea’s new contract, which is dated Aug. 24 with her signature, there are portions that allow her to leave the agreement either through retirement, mutual agreement with the district, or if she “believes she can no longer give effective leadership to the district.”

The contract also dictates that she “agrees to give the district not less than 30 days advance written notice of her election to terminate employment.”

Otherwise, she could have to pay the district a $2,000 penalty for early termination.

Gildea has not yet responded to questions about her potential new job or if she informed the board that she was applying for new positions.

Colorado Early Colleges is a network of public charter schools in Colorado.

The post Park City schools chief named as lone candidate for Colorado position appeared first on Park Record.

Excitement was evident in the eyes of many parents and kids alike as they entered the room at the Park City Mountain Legacy Lodge for the Youth United Super Sunday event.

The celebration brought together participating families, partners and supporters to register kids for extracurriculars and provide information about helpful resources available to them.

Youth United, born from the merger of two former programs — the RISE Fund and the Solomon Fund — is an initiative of the Park City Community Foundation. It helps many kids discover new passions and develop skills by facilitating involvement in sports, recreation, clubs, camps and extracurricular activities, offsetting costs that might otherwise be a barrier.

“The goal of Youth United is to create community, to bring communities together so that all kids can participate,” said Sarah MacCarthy, senior director of equity and impact. “The goal is really around creating greater sense of belonging, making sure that our kids feel like they’ve got a spot.”

“Youth United is for Latina/o/x kids, BIPOC kids, and kids of any background who are navigating any financial constraints. It’s for kids who would like to try something new or develop expertise in a sport or activity. It’s for the hardworking families of our community so they can know their children have opportunities. No one is turned away,” according to their website.

Along with the youth registration opportunities, many organizations were also present to share information about the resources they offer to all members of the community, including health services, immigration services and vision testing, to name a few. Collectively, these organizations, clubs and nonprofits provided everyone with something to learn about and, if desired, an opportunity to join.

Many student volunteers arrived eager to find a place where they could help, whether that meant guiding families around the space, assisting with photos, translating English to Spanish or taking on other various roles.

MacCarthy said that Youth United works closely with student volunteers, who are “the glue that helps this all work.”

One speaker at the Sunday’s event was Stefany Juarrieta, a senior at Park City High School, who started ballet when she was young and was introduced to Youth United when she was in fifth grade. Now she teaches kids dance with Ballet West. 

“I really enjoy what I’ve gotten to do and the most amazing part now is I get to see the children do the exact same thing. Get to know each other and have a beautiful experience learning ballet, but also learn from each other and make new best friends,” said Juarrieta. “Thank you guys very much for being able to support me throughout this. It’s been one of the biggest parts of my life.” 

This year, Youth United were able to support nonprofit partners with a little over $200,000.

“Every year we get over 2,000 registrations to our partner organizations, the result is kids making lifelong connections and doing a ton of fun stuff,” said Joel Zarrow, president and CEO of the Park City Community Foundation. “​​Thank you very much for coming. We’re really glad you’re here. It’s an incredibly important initiative, and it takes all of you to make it happen.”

Anna Frachou, board member of the Park City Community Foundation, emphasized the importance of strengthening community connections. 

“In our vibrant and dynamic community, we often see the incredible potential in our young people. They are future leaders, athletes, innovators and change makers. Yet not all the youth have the same resources they need to fully realize their potential,” said Frachou. “Every donation helps sustain the vital services that young people depend on. … Your investment today is a direct investment in Park City’s future.”

Youth United works with outreach coordinators at each school to spread the word about events, including the Super Sunday registration event, which is held twice per year, the next likely to be held in March.

To learn more about Youth United and the programs it offers, visit the Park City Community Foundation’s website at parkcitycf.org/how-we-work/growing-community-initiatives/youthunited.

The post Youth United’s Super Sunday celebrates community appeared first on Park Record.

While schools across the state and country struggle to get students up to the standards they were meeting before the COVID-19 pandemic, Wasatch County School District and Park City School District have managed to not only make up lost ground but also surpass their 2019 standings.

The Utah State Board of Education released its 2024 student proficiency data based on two standardized tests: the Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment given to third-eighth graders and the Utah Aspire Plus administered to students in grades nine and 10.  

In 2019 — the school year before the COVID-19 pandemic — students’ test scores throughout the state showed that 47% were proficient in English language arts, 45% in mathematics and 46.6% in science. 

In 2021 — the year after the worst of the pandemic and the effects it had on schools and students — had passed, its effects on education were noticeable. The proficiency rates had dropped to 43.3%, 39.2% and 44.1%, respectively.

While Park City School District and Wasatch County School District stayed a cut above average both before and after the pandemic, neither community was immune to the proficiency-dropping effects the vast majority of districts throughout the state and country faced. 

In 2019, Park City’s students tested to be 54.3% proficient in English language arts, 50.5% in math and 54.1% in science. In 2021, those numbers changed — most notably math proficiency — to 54.5%, 46% and 53.3%, respectively.

In neighboring Wasatch County, students’ 2019 test scores scored proficiencies of 51.6% in English language arts, 46.2% in math and 49.8% in science. In 2021, those proficiency rates became 50.4%, 45.7% and 44.4%.

Regardless of the pandemic, both of the largest districts in the Wasatch Back also continue to improve their proficiency numbers.

According to the newest reports, Park City’s tests taken in 2024 show 61.8% of students were proficient in English language arts, 56.2% in math and 65.5% in science.

In Wasatch, test results showed students were 59.3% sufficient in English language arts, 56.7% in math and 55% in science. 

Despite obvious adjustments that the district had to make due to the pandemic, Wasatch County Superintendent Paul Sweat attributed the district’s success in the situation to using technology efficiently, implementing as few changes as possible and keeping kids in school buildings when possible.

Similarly, Park City officials also worked to maintain in-person learning as much as possible.

The post Park City and Wasatch County schools continue upward after pandemic bounce back appeared first on Park Record.

Providing students with a real-world science experience, Jamie Madore and Andrea Hoppe channel the energy of The Magic School Bus with their company, The Traveling Classroom. The pair took a group of 10 Park City Middle School students to Churchill Manitoba, Canada, this summer to study Beluga whales and experience their learnings from the classroom in real life.

Madore and Hoppe are teachers at the Park City Day School, which is a major part of what led to them creating this program. The idea for the camp came up while the two thought about ways to expand the curriculum for their students, eighth graders in particular. 

“We were looking at ways to create an amazing adventure for them in eighth grade that they would look forward to, and also trying to connect it to their science curriculum,” said Hoppe.

Knowing that the eighth-grade science curriculum has a large focus on climate change, the idea of going to the subarctic to see polar bears came up as an opportunity to show students a clear example of global climate change and the impact it is having on these animals. 

The teachers got to work and planned what this program might look like, the logistics and the experience it would provide to the students. They formed a connection with Frontiers North, a company that runs polar bear excursions in Churchill, Canada. Frontiers North had also been looking to expand beyond tourism to school groups and education, so they were open to figuring something out, and the partnership fell right into place. 

Ultimately, due to several factors, it became clear that this new program would not fit into the school’s current Outdoor Education program or school year. 

“It’s a huge amount of travel. It’s a big expense,” Hoppe said. “The polar bears migrate during a certain time, and you can’t change that. You show up when they’re there — that’s what dictates it. So the timing was hard as far as the school year goes, and there were just a lot of barriers to make it a really good program.”

Although the program didn’t end up working with the school’s schedule, Madore and Hoppe still felt strongly about finding a way to make it work. 

Hoppe had an opportunity to go to Churchill to decide whether the idea was worth continuing to pursue. It was her first time in this remote part of the world that has no direct road access. Aside from being known as the Polar Bear capital of the world, Churchill Manitoba is also known for the large amounts of Belugas that visit the area. 

“It’s a guarantee that this is where they go,” said Hoppe. “They go there to calve because it’s safe from Orca whales. They are there with their babies, and for me, it was a very life changing experience. … I knew it was definitely something worth pursuing.”

While on this trip, Hoppe was connected to the Beluga Bits program, a citizen science collaborative research project that provides the opportunity to participate in the classification and identification of beluga whales, which solidified the idea for the summer camp. 

Not knowing if the idea would fully pan out or if the community would show any interest in sending their kids on an adventure like this one, they moved forward hoping for the best. Madore and Hoppe created an LLC to be able to collect the proper insurance and have everything they needed to create a safe experience for the future campers. This was an adventure on its own.

“It was a really amazing learning experience for us because neither of us had ever owned a business,” said Madore.

Although the camp is separate from the school, the teachers received enthusiastic support from the Park City Day School community. 10 students, many of whom attend the day school, took part of the Traveling Classroom’s first trip, which took place July 29-Aug. 5. 

The eight-day summer camp, named Camp Churchill, consisted of three days at the Park City Day School where the group went over topics in preparation for their trip. They were introduced to the Beluga Bits program and went over what international travel entails, packing lists and more. 

“We created some projects for them to do as classroom projects,” said Hoppe. “And then we also did a hiking day where we talked about how you do scientific observations and field journals and make it fun.”

After those first three days, the students departed for Churchill, the arctic port town in Northern Manitoba Canada where they would spend the next five days studying Beluga whales, sighting Polar bears, dog carting and working with local Churchill nonprofit groups.

Being in a remote environment, the kids were able to experience something outside of what they know in the Park City community, which the teachers said added value for the students.

”We both feel passionately about exposing students to new situations that bring awareness of ways other people live their lives. That was a big thing for us.” said Madore.

One of the days while the group was out on Zodiac boats, conditions got a little gnarly. There was pelting rain, it was cold and all of the kids were shivering. But they were surrounded by thousands of Beluga whales swimming around them in the water. 

“Everybody saw that this was our chance, and we were gonna take it rain and all. We could take a hot shower later,” said Madore. “And we were rewarded by seeing two polar bears swimming about. And the whales were messing with the polar bears. They like to tease them because they know that they’re faster than a polar bear, so they tease them and swim away.”

The teachers expressed how they couldn’t have asked for a better group of students. 

“They really represented us well there. I mean, they got a lot of compliments,” said Hoppe. “Their behavior was exceptional, and they were just so curious and interested in what they were learning about, which I think is a product of our outdoor education program that Jamie runs.”

Overall, Manitoba, its landscape and its ecosystem provided an experience for the students beyond what Hoppe and Madore had hoped for. They saw Beluga whales and Polar Bears and even got to see the Northern lights. It was a unique learning experience for their students, something for them to look forward to, and likely an experience they will always remember as they continue their learning journeys. 

“We know that we’ll run this camp again next summer as it stands now,” said Hoppe. “But I think down the line, there are so many amazing places in the world that we could connect students to that are not vacation destinations and places they may not otherwise get to see.”

Madore and Hoppe encourage anyone interested in having their rising sixth grader to rising eighth grader participate in Camp Churchill to reach out and learn more about the next summer camp. 

“If you are a student who is looking to move your learning and education outside of the classroom into a hands-on, real-world experience, this is the program for you.” said Hoppe.

To learn more about The Traveling Classroom and Camp Churchill, reach out directly to campchurchillpc@gmail.com. You can also stay up to date with the latest news from the Traveling Classroom by following them on Instagram @camp_churchill.

The post The Traveling Classroom’s first trip whisks students away to see whales and polar bears appeared first on Park Record.

Buses, cars, bikes and walkers made the trip back to schools in the Park City School District on Tuesday for the first day of the 2024-25 year. Middle schoolers were “clapped in” at Treasure Mountain, kindergartners and preschoolers said anxious goodbyes to their parents at McPolin and high schoolers handed out doughnuts in the parking lot to welcome their peers back to class.

Left: Katrina Kmak bikes her son, John “Jack” Burdick V, to his first day of kindergarten. Kmak’s husband, John Burdick IV biked with them to Jack’s first day of class as well.

Right: Shane Hoffmeyer says a teary goodbye to his dad, Tyler Hoffmeyer, on his first day of preschool at McPolin Elementary. Tyler is the technology instructional coach at Park City High School. “I’m excited to have [Shane] nice and close by,” he said.

The post First day of the future appeared first on Park Record.

The three Park City School Board members who quit their reelection campaigns in spring and summer formed a majority on Tuesday to approve a new two-year agreement with Superintendent Jill Gildea, even though the other two current board members and three out of four candidates for the board have publicly asked them to leave such a decision to them next year.

The contract passed 3-2, with each of the board members whose terms will end this year — Andrew Caplan, Wendy Crossland and Anne Peters — voting in favor.

The newest members, Reed and Nick Hill, voted no.

“I would prefer that was a decision made by the incoming board,” Hill said.

“I would second that,” Reed agreed.

The majority said they saw things differently.

“I would just, having been here for seven years, be really mindful of change and how it’s executed,” Peters said. “My preference would be to allow the three new board members to get up to speed and assess the situation for themselves and then make a better decision.”

Crossland agreed that the new board should take time to assess the district as elected officials before deciding whether to decide on renewing Gildea’s contract.

Though the new agreement is for two years, she said it contains language that allows the board to cancel the contract early.

The new document has not yet been publicly released, but Gildea’s current contract specifies that if the board decides to terminate the agreement before the end of its term, they must give her a full year of compensation and benefits. She’s the highest-paid superintendent in the state.

Crossland also stressed that the process to find a solid superintendent takes a year or two, and she opted to keep the district in a stable place. 

“It’s a decision that we make and I make based on a multitude of factors,” she said. “I’ve heard both sides.”

Caplan criticized critics of the superintendent and other personnel within the district. He said people should refrain from personal attacks no matter how badly they think someone has messed up.

“What I would ask the community,” he said, “is to have some civility and some class, and for someone to get on the radio and say things that are only partially accurate or partially true, and have people demand that’s the right thing to do without sitting here in this seat without volunteering thousands of hours, without taking into account other stakeholders, it’s a bit foolhardy.”

Despite disagreements, he emphasized that he thinks Park City is still a great place to live.

“We all came here for people and a good community, and let’s not change that,” he said. “Let’s not have that be the narrative because it gets clicks on KPCW or The Park Record. Let’s not allow the press to influence how we act towards each other.” 

The vote completed a vow Caplan made in June, after quitting his campaign for reelection the previous month. He declared in an interview on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” that the board intended to renew Gildea’s contract.

Since then, board member Meredith Reed has said he made the statement without consulting with her, or to her knowledge, any other board members.

Ten days after Caplan’s broadcasted comments, community members started a Change.org petition asking the board to leave the decision to next year. As of Tuesday, the district voted on the issue, the online petition had 520 signatures.

Had they left the decision up to the next year’s board, the new members would have had a month to determine whether they wanted to renew or terminate the district’s relationship with Gildea according to the terms of the contract, which may violate a 2011 state law against automatic renewal clauses. 

Kathleen Britton, a candidate for Crossland’s position, and Eileen Gallagher, who is running unopposed for Caplan’s seat, declined to comment after the vote.

Formerly, Britton was the only candidate who hadn’t publicly urged the board to delay the vote.

Her opponent, Danny Glasser, didn’t hesitate to share his thoughts.

“I am disappointed that the board has collectively chosen to take this important decision away from the next board,” he said. 

He explained he didn’t see an urgent need to approve the contract, and thought the lame duck majority’s action was unjustified.

Susan Goldberg, who is running unopposed to replace Peters, saw the decision as an example of the board going against the will of the community.

“I am not surprised,” she said. “Andrew Caplan told us what he was going to do in spite of community objections, board member objections both past and present and, most importantly, performance concerns. It is disappointing to say the least.”

Josh Mann, one of the organizers of the Change.org petition, was also disappointed.

“We didn’t get the outcome we had hoped for, but we love that the community spoke,” he said. “Unfortunately, a majority of the school board ignored public opinion. I guess the board thought they knew better than the community.”

Since being hired in 2018, Gildea has been criticized by the community as the district has faced several issues during her time as superintendent, including illegally storing toxic dirt, beginning construction projects without appropriate permits, 180 cases of student-to-student harassment — some of which the district didn’t adequately resolve to legal standards — and a state audit that showed the district lacked in helping groups of students qualifying for federal assistance.

At the same time, the district has been academically rigorous and last school year was ranked as Utah’s fifth best, according to U.S. News & World Report. It also found a place on the College Board’s honor roll for promoting access to Advanced Placement Courses to traditionally underrepresented and low-income students.

“I am honored to continue serving our community and leading our district through these transformative times,” Gildea said after the vote. “We have achieved remarkable successes and will continue our efforts. … One thing is clear — we all want the best learning experiences and opportunities for our community’s children in schools where there is a deep sense of connection and belonging.”

The post School board’s lame ducks renew superintendent’s contract over protest appeared first on Park Record.

The first day of the new school year was Tuesday, but Ecker Hill Middle School students and their families weren’t exactly sure what they would be walking into beyond hearing that there would be sections of the school still under construction.

While rumors circulated among the community — and even district employees — the Park City School District didn’t give a lot of details about how school would look in the facility until after students began class Tuesday. 

Administrators at the school similarly remained vague on details, citing district policy that communication with the media must go through the district.

Tuesday morning, district spokesperson Heidi Matthews specified that Wing A of the school, a newly constructed portion with 12 classrooms, was incomplete.

“EHMS leadership developed a contingency plan allowing students to be educated in existing sections of the school if Wing A was not ready for opening day,” she said. “Most impacted classes will be held in rooms available during the educator’s preparation periods, with some shorter periods, like advisory, accommodating larger groups.”

She said the district estimates students will be able to occupy Wing A starting next week on Aug. 26. Before then, workers need to finish data wiring, the intercom system, internet and phone access.

With a lack of information shared even as students packed their backpacks and look up their bus schedules the day before school starts, parents — including Park City School Board member Meredith Reed — were frustrated.

Reed, who has a child attending Ecker Hill, said she’s received no information about the delay and ongoing construction through official district channels and has instead had to rely on vague messages from the school’s staff and parent teacher organization.

On Aug. 14, she received an email from the PTO letting her know sixth grade students would not be able to visit their classrooms or lockers during registration. A monitor cycling through photos of the school visible by the building’s visitor check-in showed Monday that many lockers are surrounded by construction materials and projects. 

On Aug. 16, she received another email from Ecker Hill Principal Garret Rose informing parents that the district’s “construction friends are finishing up the appropriate measures” and thanking them for their patience and understanding.

On Aug. 19 at 8:10 p.m., Superintendent Jill Gildea sent an email to the school’s families stating Wing A was incomplete. The email did not say how the school would operate without access to 12 of its classrooms.

“As a board member, I have not received any communication about that,” Reed said. “It seems that they’re not familiar with the ‘bad news does not improve with age,’ guidance on communication.”

Like many in the community, she’s been left to parse the situation through whispers and stories making their way through the grapevine.

One district faculty member, who spoke to The Park Record on condition of anonymity, had heard 12 classrooms would not be ready for students, and that some kids would not be able to access their lockers.

Matthews has since addressed the locker concern, saying every student has a locker.

There have also been concerns about whether the school passed an inspection last week. Summit County and Park City officials have said they aren’t responsible for the school’s projects due to a state code that specifies certificates of occupancy.

“They missed a deadline they’ve known about for years. Why is that?” the faculty member said. “The district does not have students’ and families’ well being at the forefront.”

The Park Record reached out to the state Board of Education with questions about the building’s inspection and certificate of occupancy and had not heard back by Monday evening.

The post Park City School District slow to give details on continuing Ecker Hill construction effects on students appeared first on Park Record.

Park City School District announced Monday the launch of its “We All Belong” campaign for 2024-25 school year. 

In an email, the district said that the initiative “underscores the district’s commitment to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment where every student, staff member, and community member feels valued and connected.” 

The email goes on to say that, throughout the year, the district will “emphasize various aspects of belonging, aligned with our district’s mission and vision.”

The email then links to a page on the district’s website, which has two videos elaborating on the initiative and how to report bullying and harassment, as well as a letter from superintendent Dr. Jill Gildea titled “What’s the Opposite of We All Belong?”

The letter opens by acknowledging the need for a safe school where everyone feels like they belong. The letter addresses that this renewed commitment comes after the Office of Civil Rights investigation into the district earlier this year.

“As we entered into the Resolution Agreement with the US Department of
Education’s Office of Civil Rights,” Gildea said in the letter, “we discovered that while we had maintained our mission to inspire and support all students equitably to achieve their academic and social potential, we fell short of our vision that our students are safe, supported, engaged, challenged, and healthy. Consequently, we have implemented several improvements as we enter into the 2024/2025 school year.”

Those improvements are quoted here:

• Policy changes that clearly spell out what is and what is not accepted within our schools, along with clarification on how incidents are reported, investigated, and resolved.
• A simple reporting system that can be accessed from all school and district websites that allows students, parents/guardians, staff, and community members to efficiently report when bullying, harassment, and discrimination occurs so that the district can properly investigate and resolve every incident: https://www.pcschools.us/about/bullying-or-harassment-reporting-form
• Training for every staff member on what behavior, language, and treatment is allowed, how to investigate it properly, and how to productively resolve incidents for every person involved.

The letter continues later on to specify what the We All Belong campaign includes:

• Support materials provided to all parents/guardians and educators reinforcing that each and every one of us belongs in our school community.
• Resources for parents, guardians, families, teachers, and administrators on how to build a better sense of belonging, especially for those who differ from ourselves.
• School-based community meetings to launch the We All Belong Campaign with families and stakeholders.
• A PCSD We All Belong website with resources, courses, and forums for all
  stakeholders to join in this district-wide effort.

The campaign’s website is available to the public (along with a Spanish-translated version of the letter) at pcschools.us/about/we-all-belong-campaign.

The post Park City School District launches ‘We All Belong’ anti-bullying campaign appeared first on Park Record.

When North Summit School District Superintendent Jerre Holmes got up to address about 100 constituents at a meeting Wednesday evening in North Summit High School’s auditorium to publicly pitch a bond for a new high school to be built, he spoke in a way that didn’t elicit or expect excitement for the project, beneficial to his community as it may be.

Rather, he looked at the audience, whom he knew felt the growing burden of rising taxes correlated with their rising home values, and assured them that he and the school board did not easily make the decision to build the new facility, but almost reluctantly arrived at the conclusion that it’s necessary.

“I’m grateful to this board and boards in recent past who have done all in their power to not burden the taxpayers,” he said. “In the 24 years that I’ve lived here as a resident of North Summit, not once has the school board imposed a truth in taxation increase. … Unfortunately, with the dramatic increases in our home evaluations, it has appeared that the district is continually raising your taxes.”

In 2004, he said, the district built a new middle school, bus garage and new facilities at the high school and elementary school. That bond was paid off this spring, and he said the district had waited for the debt to be paid before asking the community to support another bond.

“We understand that the timing of this proposal is not great, but it never will be in terms of the tax increase,” he said. “The timing, however, is appropriate for the needs of our high school students and staff and for our community.”

He added that the proposal was not born out of a desire for something nicer, but for something safer and more efficient.

The high school was built in 1977, its swimming pool in 1966. He asked for the public’s support in voting in favor of a $114 million general obligation bond to replace them.

For every $100,000 of home value for primary residences, that would mean a $118 annual tax raise. For second homes or businesses, that number increases to $215. The bond would take about two decades to pay.

Whitney Ward from VCBO Architecture explained why the new building is necessary and why the current building might no longer be the best for the community.

“We were engaged to do a facility assessment to understand the state of the building,” she said. “And to understand what it might cost to reinvest in or help bring everything up to the current needs of the school and the district.”

She said her firm completed that assessment and found that there haven’t been any major modifications to the building since its original design and construction.

“One of the big items of note was from the structural evaluation,” she said. 

The building’s roof was found to be about twice as heavy as normal, and it sits on unreinforced masonry.

“There is a risk that in a seismic event, the pressure of the seismic event sort of rattles the school, the weight of the roof could cause more damage in an earthquake because of the height/weight and the unreinforced walls,” she said. 

In the auditorium and gym where the walls are even taller, she said this is a concern, too.

Other issues included electrical system vulnerabilities, boilers approaching the end of their life spans, no air conditioning and safety problems that newer school buildings eliminate. She said several of the entrances to the school are often propped open with rocks for easy access, and while newer education facilities have a multiple-door system to vet visitors before they enter the main building, the old high school does not.

She said the pool, which serves the district and the broader North Summit community, has already surpassed its expected life expectancy.

“It’s really hard to gauge how the pool is holding up because it is hidden behind that PVC liner,” she said. “But there are some things to note that some of the filtration and water management systems aren’t up to current code.”

All in all, she said reinvesting in the existing school would probably come with a higher price tag than building a new one. 

The new proposed building would be located on district-owned property southwest of the Coalville Cemetery. The plot would be large enough for a school, an eight-lane track, a football field and all athletic facilities needed to support the community’s long-term growth, as the school would accommodate about 640 students.

“Five years ago we did a growth study,” Holmes said. “The experts told us we were stagnant and there was no growth, and now we are where we are. So, the task of building a new high school for the next 50 years is daunting. It’s almost like having to play God and know how many students we will have.”

He said there may come a day when another high school is necessary in Hoytsville and added that the district has gone to Larry H. Miller — a large developer in the area — looking for land.

“We were hoping that they would gift or at least be nice about our purchase of said land,” he said. “But we didn’t get any wiggle room or any warm fuzzies.”

Still, he looked to nearby Wasatch County’s quick, explosive expansion to consider the possibility of needing another school in a few decades. 

Discussing the pool, Ward said the facility in the old high school would remain open — even as the connected high school around it would be demolished — until the new indoor pool could begin. Eventually, the new indoor pool would go where the current one sits.

Once the bond passes toward the end of the year, Ward said the high school can be designed. The whole process, she estimated, would take around two years.

Ward and Holmes took questions from the audience, some on paper and some over the microphone.

Toward the end of the meeting, a woman toward the front of the auditorium who later declined to identify herself to The Park Record took the mic.

“How do you propose that we’ll pay the tax bill?” she asked. “We have inflation, we have recession, we have downturn in wages. North Summit County has a high poverty level that does not contribute to the tax base. How, exactly, do you expect us to pay this?”  

Holmes took a long second before he responded.

“I think that’s a great question, and as I mentioned in the beginning, the last thing that this board wants to do is burden anyone with a tax increase,” he said. “Without crossing the lines of what my limitations are legally as a superintendent, I can assure you that we have not taken this lightly and we understand the burden. Do we fully understand what each household is going through? Absolutely not, but we know a tax increase is a burden.”

Still, he added, the building is wearing out, and he wanted every high school student to have a good experience.

“I can assure you that the folks on this stage have honestly thought and agonized over your question,” he said. “What we are burdening you with is a decision. … If we say, ‘Well, we think this school can last another five years,’ that’s great. But there will come a time when the can that’s getting kicked down the road will have to be picked up.”  

The post North Summit School District asks community to vote for new high school bond appeared first on Park Record.