NEWS RELEASE
For additional information, contact: Lorie Pearce, Executive Assistant to BOE/Supt at lpearce@pcschools.us
May 18, 2021
Board of Education Update – May 2021
by Erin Grady, BOE President
At the May School Board Meeting, we met for the first time via Zoom. With a virtual meeting, we did stick with the areas of business necessary to successfully close out the year including Master Facility Planning. The School Board directed administration to move forward with a Request for Qualifications for certified architects to begin work on design/construction drawings aligned to the Master Facility Plan. If all goes to plan, we’d be looking at grade realignment in 2024.
At this time of year, the Board of Education also looks at the totality of the budget for the 21/22 school year. With solid planning and good economic predictions, we met the threshold for our agreed compensation plans for all employee groups. The overall budget increases under 2%, and we are able to present this strong budget to the community with pride.
This month is Mental Health Awareness month, and Deanna Rhodes will join us as we support a Mental Health Awareness Resolution. We have also approved and published our 21/22 school year calendar.
We heard from constituents on the concerns related to removing as well as keeping the mask mandate and on the Open Enrollment policy that was updated for clarification in January 2021. The mask mandate remains rule of law through May 31. After that date, we respectfully request that staff and families continue to wear masks within the school setting until the conclusion of the 20/21 school year.
While the Governor has relieved the mandate as of May 31, we still have active cases of COVID19 within the community and ask that families help us to end the year strong. We do not anticipate the need for face masks during the 21/22 school year.
In all cases, the Board of Education and District has adhered to the Utah Department of Public Health School Manual as well as the Legislated regulations related to Public Health.
With regard to Open Enrollment, the shift for our staff includes submitting a one-page enrollment form. Otherwise, the process for review is the same as it has been for at least a dozen years. While we understand and hear the concerns of staff, this annual process has been in place, and we anticipate that enrollments will include our staff and employees’ children as a part of our community’s school system. We will do all we can to make PCSD the most attractive employer it can be for our teachers.
Our focus as a Board of Education is to create the conditions for staff, student, and community success. Our work, to that end, is a focus on the mission and vision of PCSD.