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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, January 10-12, 2018 The Park Record South Summit District discusses plans for future Board to weigh its four options at the next meeting CAROLYN WEBBER The Park Record After the South Summit School District’s bond was voted down at the polls last November, the district is searching for solutions for overcrowding at the schools. Jim Snyder, president of the South Summit Board of Education, said that last month, the Board decided on four preliminary solutions and will be discussing them in detail at its next meeting on Jan. 11. As the district’s population continues to grow, the Board is looking for solutions to have enough space for its students. During the last 10 years, the district has had enrollment growth of 15 percent. The bond, which was defeated with a 1,167-939 split, would have been used to construct a new high school and resulted in re- Continued from A-8 Parents fight for Conley who announced her retirement in November. She worries that so much upheaval could prove ruinous. “How do we learn from our mistakes if everyone is new?” she said. “It’s not good planning and it doesn’t make me feel comfortable.” Pink M Template.pdf 4 12/11/2017 As the Board begins a master-planning process, Miller aligned grades throughout the existing schools. One of the solutions the Board is considering is to bond for a second elementary school in Francis, where he said that the majority of the growth is taking place. Another is to buy or lease the building that housed the Oakley School, a private school that went out of business. But, he said, there are some drawbacks to acquiring the Oakley School property. “The building is not designed for younger-aged students, so we would have to do some retrofitting,” he said. “And Oakley is located on the north side of the valley, which is away from our growth.” Constructing portable classrooms and a year-round trimester schedule are the two other solutions, which Superintendent Shad Sorenson stated as options immediately following the bond’s defeat in November. Snyder said that there would be some difficulties associated with switching to a non-traditional schedule, but that they do not want to rule it out until the Board meets with district staff, which it plans to do later this month. “I honestly believe that that is going to be the source of our best information — with the people that work in the buildings,” he said. The Board also plans on meeting with community members on Jan. 25 at the district office to understand why they voted against the bond. Snyder said that no official timeline has been established as the Board moves forward, but that decisions need to be made. There is the possibility of modular classrooms being installed at some of the schools as early as the upcoming school year. “The sooner (we decide) the better,” he said. “But on the other hand, we want to make sure that we make a valid, data-driven decision that is going to be best for the district.” The Board will continue its discussion of options for master planning at its meeting on Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the district office. and Worthington said they are nervous about the district hiring a superintendent and having them jump immediately into big decisions. The Board’s consultant for master planning Nick Salmon stated at the last Board meeting that having a superintendent dive right in could be a reason to delay master planning, and Caplan said that the Board is leaning toward putting off taking any large steps until this fall. Because of that, Miller worries that Conley’s departure could hold the district back from progressing for multiple years. Another fear is that the community’s reputation for having high expectations will prevent the 3:28:14 PM district from attracting a qualified superintendent, and that once they get their feet under them, they might leave too. “You’re changing the trajectory of the district,” she said. “It’s a scary prospect that we could be a lot further behind in a couple years.” Plus, Miller said, Conley has made positive changes to the school district and Miller wants to see more progress in the future. So far, neither Miller nor Worthington has received a response from the Board regarding the letters, but they are not giving up hope. If nothing else, Miller plans to comment at the next Board meeting about the matter. “There are a lot of us that believe there is a chance she will stay,” Miller said. Want the results of a recent competition or updated standings? Don't worry, The Park Record always keeps score. See our Scoreboard on page B-5. Jeff Horizontal Trib A-9 |