December 12, 2023 Board Meeting Summary

Study Session

Board Handbook Training 1:11

Board Handbook Training

Gina Hales reviewed Relationships & Protocols. She offered reminders on the protocols for creating agendas, complaint responses, public comments, and professional development.

The academic wing is open and students are in the space. Media center lights have been tested and glass is being installed in mid-January. The concessions building and bleacher building are under construction and should be completed in July. Demolition on old academic wing should begin in January.

Wasatch

Wasatch is on schedule. They started getting steel in last week. Elevation is starting to get into the second level. Coordination with city on light poles is all done.

Shoreline

Shoreline is on schedule. Gymnasium is done. Roofing membrane done and mechanical is in place.

Policy Review 15:22

Policy 3330: Inclusive Learning Environment Policy

Superintendent Dau noted that they did get a request to add a procedure.

Meg Van Wagenen talked about the letter received from the LGBTQ community. There was a suggestion to change inclusive to belonging. There were concerns where the policy talks about discrimination. It is generic and there was a suggestion to add protective classes there. There was a discussion about protective classes and the wording.

The board discussed the benefits and difficulties of adding protective classes in different spots within the policy. They also discussed schools as public forums and personal viewpoints. They discussed the language of the policy and considered alternatives. The board decided to take it back to the Policy Committee to reword before bringing it up for a vote.

Student board member Will Weidner informed the board on the student discussion regarding the policy. Students discussed the question: what does it mean to advocate and would like clarity around that language. The students are also worried that the policy is just about banning the pride flags. The board members expressed a hope that Will could advocate for the policy and help students understand what this policy is about.

Policy 6040, P1 District Teacher and Student Success Act

Teacher and Student Success Act was discussed. The policy is already in place and Superintendent Dau was notifying the board of updates in the procedure.

Policy 4020 Curriculum Development and Adoption of Instructional Materials

Judy Rose discussed Policy updates to 4020. This is a second reading of 4020 addressing current Utah code, clarity and title changes. The proposed changes to Policy 4020 are aimed at meeting the requirements of Utah State Law and Utah Code, clarifying information, making mechanics corrections, and matching new title language. The policy is being updated to ensure that it is in compliance with the latest legal requirements and to provide clear and concise information. There was some input received by a parent, they were concerned about pulling the term parents out. Jennifer Partridge stated that the language about parents input would be valued, addressing that issue. They also discussed adding “teachers” and “community” in the language.

Policy 4040 Professional Development for Educators

Karen Brock disused policy updates to 4040. This is a second reading as well. Policy 4040 describes professional learning for educators and specifically outlines how courses qualify for credits toward salary advancement. This topic is often discussed and adjusted during annual salary negotiations between HR and PEA. As a result, there are minor changes to this document that more accurately reflect negotiated contracts. Additionally, title/personnel adjustments have been made to more accurately reflect the current responsibilities.

Policy 6030 Tax Increment Financing

Derek Anderson discussed Tax Increment Plan policy. This is also in a second reading.

Policy 6808: Student Electronic Transportation and Self-Propelled Transportation

Derek Anderson also discussed the E-bike Policy. Because the wrong policy was added to board docs, they will bring this up for a first reading in the January board meeting and open it for review.

Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying Procedures: Superintendent Wendy Dau 1:01:28

Superintendent Dau reported on what had taken place as a result of several complaints that had been made regarding discrimination, harassment and bullying allegations at Provo High. Human Resources did a thorough job of investigating the allegations.

This document is the general findings.

The district has put in place several remedies in place.

Administrative team training at Provo High School & Timpview High School – Completed
Re-evaluation of Policies 3214 and 3320 – Going to policy committee next week
Training of all principals and directors in how to conduct investigations and handle reports of bullying, harassment, discrimination; discussion about suspension; create systemic way to document all investigations – Completed
Training of all assistant principals and assistant directors, Title I coordinators, and facilitators in how to conduct investigations and handle reports of bullying, harassment, discrimination; discussion about suspension; create systemic way to document all investigations – Taking place this week
Discussion of systemic reporting and decisions regarding how incidents are reported and tracked
Discussion of appropriate use of restorative circles
Ongoing professional learning over the course of the next year for all employees regarding racism, discrimination and harassment
Training of special educators in the placement of peer tutors
Development of lessons for students to address issues of racism, discrimination, harassment, and bullying; begin the delivery of these lessons
Development of reference materials for all administrators to guide them through investigations and consequences for various levels of behavior
Creation or continuation of parent committees to create a feedback loop with district leadership and community members
Intensive rollout of the SafeUT app and systems of reporting incidents of bullying, discrimination, racism, and harassment
Onboarding process created for all new administrators that addresses investigations and policies 3214 and 3320
Consider the creation of a district level director position to address issues of equity, access, and opportunity

Meg asked about the use of the SafeUT app. Superintendent Dau mentioned that the district needs to use it better and is working on that.

There was a discussion of behavior issues and proper ways to address them. There is a document in development to discuss different levels of behavior issues and the correct procedures to take.

Trustlands Training 1:14:58

Jarod Sites provided the training.

View training document

Jarod reminded the board that there are two statutory requirements that the board has in administering the land trust program

Provide annual training school leaders, council chairs and other representatives
Approve plans when they are submitted in the spring

The annual training was held on Oct. 12, there was representation from every school. Jarod talked about the state requirements and how our district what the district is doing to meet those requirements.

District Improvement Plan Initial Steps 1:21:47

View Rough Draft of District Improvement

Superintendent Dau talked about the District Improvement Plan draft. She talked about the areas of concern and the goals. The overall goal is that we should be well above the state average. Her and the committee are starting to identify areas that need to be addressed. She talked about PLCs and utilizing PLCs process and refining it. Lisa Boyce commented that she would like to see a feedback loop so teachers can share their feedback about curriculum. Superintendent Dau talked about the importance of teachers and principals to student outcomes. She talked about beefing up PLCs and looking carefully at curriculum and feedback. She talked about the AVID mindset.

The next step is to refine the district improvement plan and find those three things that can result in the student outcomes needed.

Superintendent Dau talked about identifying highly impacted school support and making sure the resources get to the schools that need them.

Here is the Highly Impacted School Support Plan

Superintendent Dau discussed as the strategic plan starts to come together the School Improvement Plan needs to move in a more rapid way. Superintendent Dau and her team are working to organize and restructure the components to create a consistent and deliberate effort that helps expedite the planning process for the school admin to create their improvement plans.

Announcement of the new Assistant Principal 1:44:42

Jarod Sites let everyone know that Lance Vandermark was announced as the new assistant principal at Franklin. Lance will start at Franklin on the 18.

Calendar Survey Update 1:46:09

Jason Cox reported on the calendar survey. The results show that calendar A was the winner in both groups, parent and teachers. For the 2025-2026 school year school will start on August 12 and ends May 22.

Strategic Plan Update 1:51:20

Strategic plan update

Superintendent Dau submitted her update for them to read and asked for any questions.

East Bay Post High Update 1:53:05

Jason Cox reported on the East Bay Post High program. They have 33 students at their current location. The space is tight and there are concerns. The district has explored the option of moving into the second half of the building they are currently using. The owner of the space is working with them but they do not have the lease agreement yet. Once they do, they would like the board’s support.

Large Purchase Request 1:54:48

Derek Anderson requested $226,000 for Centennial’s auditorium lighting and sound. Jennifer Partridge asked about the process the district goes through to make sure they are getting the best equipment. Lisa Boyce also expressed concern about making sure the sound was best. Derek assured them that Kyle Bates was in charge of the process and technology oversaw the sound.

Upcoming Calendar Items 1:59:27

Rebecca Nielsen reviewed the upcoming calendar items.

Winter break
- Dec. 21- Jan. 2
Study Session and Business Meeting
- Tuesday, January 9, 2024
USBA January 4-6, 2024

Consent Calendar 1:59:52

Rebecca asked for questions on the consent calendar. Teri McCabe asked about the VAR Content Keeper. Derek Anderson let her know that it was the district website filter. Lisa Boyce asked about the audio enhancement purchases that combined would trigger consent and was worried it was a split purchase. Derek Anderson said he would look into it.

Business Meeting

Opening Remarks: Meg Van Wagenen 1:08

Meg Van Wagenen read a quote from the book The Boys in the Boat. This is a book that Superintendent Dau challenged everyone to read at the beginning of the school year. The book is about the University of Washington’s rowing team and their quest for gold at the 1936 Olympic games.

“What mattered more than how hard a man rowed was how well everything he did in the boat harmonized with what the other fellows were doing, and a man couldn’t harmonize with his crew mates unless he opened his heart to them. He had to care about his crew.”

Van Wagenen talked on how harmony celebrates people’s differences.

Pledge of Allegiance 3:31

Rhodes Lopez, a fifth grader from Canyon Crest Elementary led the pledge of allegiance.

Employee Recognition 4:34

Five employees were awarded the Provo Way award.

Stormi Winscott, Provo Peaks
Madison Frei, Canyon Crest
Malia Siufanua, Timpanogos
Kim Gishi, Provo Peaks
Megan Judd, Spring Creek

School Report 9:50

Principal Sean Edwards presented the school report on Canyon Crest Elementary.

Principal Edwards expressed his gratitude to the board members. His learning intention for the evening was to have all learn more about Canyon Crest Elementary including their challenges and successes.

Principal Edwards discussed the school’s demographics.

Over the course of the past few years, enrollment has recovered from the pandemic.
They have over 70 kindergarten students.
Canyon Crest usually has about 20% economically disadvantaged and 3% multilingual learners.

Student Assessment Data

Acadiance reading scores showing growth
Into math scores showing growth
RISE scores
- ELA 63.3%
- Math 65%
- Science 65.7%
- All increase from the previous year

Challenges & Opportunities

Mission and Vision was not embedded into the school culture.
- Different mission statements within the building and online
- Opportunities to redesign
- Identified core values
PBIS framework ROAR behavior values
- Patterns of unsafe and threatening behaviors
- Opportunities for explicit PBIS instruction
- This year they are providing weekly lessons
- ROAR messaging throughout the building
PLC Work
- Good conversations happening
- This year rolling out PLC protocols

Points of Pride

2022-2023 School Improvement Plan
Exceeded literacy and math goals
Literacy 9% increase
Math 85% on level or above
Multilingual learners
Adequate progress jumped to 56.3% and Proficiency 43.8%
STEM flourish at Canyon Crest. STEM Platinum School

The school board asked Principal Edwards questions about Canyon Crest and his presentation. There was a discussion.

Public Input 33:16

Kirsten Nielsen from the Rock Canyon area

Ms. Nielsen started by talking about the incredible experiences she has had at Provo City School District. Her concern was that her son came home from the last day of eighth grade with the “n” word written multiple times in his yearbook. She didn’t know who to report it to. She would love to see a district wide reporting system so issues like this can be tracked and addressed. She believes the tracking aspect is very important. She feels that when racial bullying isn’t tracked it can easily be dismissed. She also believes we need to have anti-bias curriculum in our schools. Her asks are district wide reporting and tracking bullying and grade appropriate anti-bias training for teachers.

Dorie Kim from Westridge area

Ms. Kim cares deeply about marginalized students and their experience in school. She thanked the district for their transparency and accountability with the investigation of racial bullying in our schools. She hopes that as we look at the policies we make a definition of racial bullying. She recognizes that it is a state problem. She asks that as the district works on policies they seek input on the families that are affected the most. She feels that having a strong policy will make our schools more inclusive and result in better learning outcomes for our students. Her ask of the board is to get the input of families affected the most and have a good tracking system.

Business Items 39:46

Consideration to Approve Policy 4020 Curricular Materials
- Overview given by Judy Rose. Motion passed unanimously
Consideration to Approve Policy 4040 Professional Development
- Overview given by Judy Rose. Motion passed unanimously
Consideration to Approve Policy 3330 Inclusive Learning Environments
- There was a motion to table this policy until further review of the policy committee. They will bring this back for consideration in the January board meeting. Motion passed unanimously
Consideration to Approve Tax Increment Financing Policy 6030
- Derek Anderson summarized the policy. Motion passed unanimously
Consideration to Approve Calendar A for the 2025-26 School Year
- Jason Cox summarized the process to put together the calendar and that the survey winning calendar was calendar A. Motion to adopt Calendar A passed unanimously
- This is a tentative calendar until after negotiations take place. Jason Cox will come back in June if in updates need to be made.
Consideration to Approve Large Purchase Request (CMS Auditorium Sound System)
- Derek Anderson summarized the requests. This is a request to improve and update the lighting and sound in the Centennial Middle School Auditorium up to current standards.

Consent Calendar 50:39

Motion to approve consent calendar passed unanimously.

Student Board Members’ Report 51:22

Max reported on the recent District Student Council (DSC) meeting. They discussed items such as electric bussing and how to improve the student board member position. Will reported that one of the changes they would like to see is student board members being able to vote and that vote be on record but not affect the outcome.

They also discussed senior quotes, which was no go. They also talked about the upcoming inclusion policy and plan to talk about the E-bike policy at their next meeting. The next DSC meeting will be at the new Timpview on January 10.

Business Administrator Report 54:53

Derek Anderson reported that Timpview is officially in their new academic wing and Wasatch and Shoreline are coming along according to schedule.

Board Member Roundtable 55:17

Melanie Hall had nothing to report.
Gina Hales talked about the Legislative Committee. They are gearing up for the Legislative Session which begins in January. They have met with all the legislators that have constituents in our area and are willing to visit.
Meg Van Wagenen had nothing to report
Rebecca Nielsen had nothing to report
Jennifer Partridge report on the Utah School Board Association. Britney Cummings from Governor Cox’s office came and spoke at the meeting. Cummings reported on a recent audit where they found a need for role clarity between Utah board of education, legislation and local school boards and separation between the office of education, under the superintendent, and the elected board of education. The Association is working on hiring an intern to help with communication. Day on the Hill is coming up in February. Next meeting January 4, 2024.
Teri McCabe reported on the safety committee. The Utah County Health Department recently updated their communicable disease procedure which relates to our policy 3413. Our procedure will need to be updated. The Safety Committee is keeping track of all the proposed changes of HB61, one of those changes will be changing Jason Garrison title to School Safety and Security Director.
Lisa Boyce reminded everyone that the Provo CAPS showcase would be Dec 18, 2023. It is inspiring to see these kids articulate their projects. Also, heads up to people who give feedback to policies.

Superintendent Report 1:04:26

Superintendent Dau approved travel. She also gave shout out to the following:

Derek Anderson and his team are a huge reason why Timpview was able to occupy their space this week
Cabinet helped out with Timpview’s new traffic patterns and finding new class locations this week
Huge thanks to Doug Finch and Darrel Jensen for leading the leadership training for principals regarding the recent investigation
Michelle Eldredge worked with Dixon LIA and Franklin students to create valuable instruction time
Excited to have Lance Vandermark going to Franklin Elementary. Shout out to Jarod Sites for coordinating the interview efforts