Board Meeting Summary | June 18, 2019

PCEA Report

Julie Hooker and Amanda Lawing will serve as co-presidents of the Park City Education Association this coming school year. Hooker commended students, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators for their contributions to the Class of 2019. She reminded the board that the single greatest predictor of student success is the relationships that students have with classroom teachers. PCEA looks forward to working with the district to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers. Hooker expressed concern for safety/access at the high school, which was later addressed by Mike Tanner’s safety update.

Master Plan Timeline/Update

Superintendent Gildea reviewed the master planning timeline through the end of 2019:

– July: Meet with city council and host small groups

– August: Update staff and parents at Back-to-School meetings; launch three task force groups (see below)

– September: Host a community forum

– October: Seek additional community feedback via an online survey

– November/December: Create initial drafts of the action and implementation plans

Dr. Gildea reviewed the creation and purposes of three task force groups that will begin work this fall. Task force groups include:

— Early Learning: Provide data, information, and input into the concept of early learning opportunities within Park City School District.

— Secondary School Designs: Consider the 6-12 learner experience and map out the best case scenario work required to examine middle level and secondary level education programming for Park City School District.

—Equity, Access, and Opportunity: Look at ways Park City School District can improve access, equity, and opportunity (realizing PCSD’s mission to inspire and support all students equitably to achieve academic and social potential) throughout the coming year.

Safety Update

Chief Operations Officer Mike Tanner will convene the district’s Safety Committee this fall and involve representation from all stakeholder groups. He is in the process of refining access points at the schools and reviewing security procedures with city and county first responders. Tanner recognized there are good things happening in schools related to safety and security, but safety protocol needs to be articulated system-wide.

Calendar Survey Findings

Dr. Gildea shared the findings of the calendar survey that was taken by more than 1,100 individuals. She was pleased to see that parents and educators agree on the preferred calendar options and that most prefer the calendar the district is currently using.

The survey findings show the majority of respondents favor the following:

– Maintaining current high school start times

– Starting school in late August

– Ending the first semester before Winter Break

– Continuing with a variety of long and short breaks

– Setting a fixed time for Spring Recess (second week of April)

2019-20 Calendar

Board members reviewed the 2020-21 tentative calendar and are expected to finalize it during their Aug. 20 meeting.

Policy for Posting

– Policy 10045: Attendance – Grades 8-12

Policies Adopted

– Policy 7030: Employee Suggestions and Complaints

– Policy 7055: Jury Duty or Witness in Court

– Policy 7060: Sick Leave Bank

– Policy 7090: Substitute Teachers

– Policy 7130: Sick Leave Incentive

– Policy 7150: Contract Status for Newly Hired Classified Employees

– Policy 7155: Classified Staff Promotions and Transfers

– Policy 10001: Bullying

Public Comment

– Treasure Mountain Junior High 9th-grade student Case Schemmer shared the results of a survey he recently conducted with 100 of his TMJH peers on standards-referenced grading.

– Park City High 2018 graduate Zane Schemmer said the high school prepared him well for his first year at the University of California, Berkeley.

Board Meeting Summary | April 16, 2019

Superintendent Report

– Accolades: Superintendent Jill Gildea began her report by sharing more than 75 statewide and national accolades that students and staff have received this school year.  She said she continues to be impressed with the great things happening across the district.

– Transition Plan: As a new superintendent she has spent this year focused on listening and learning. She is now assessing the district’s current state and reflecting on the necessary steps to guide the system with a strong history and tradition of excellence to realize our community’s vision of the future of education.

– Future of Learning: She thanked the community and education participants for their ongoing donation of time dedicated to master planning the past seven months.

– Standards-Based Learning: In many conversations and meetings, she said colleges and universities have repeatedly and unequivocally said that standards-based grades and transcripts pose no problems whatsoever for applicants. In fact, some of the most highly selective institutions in the world such as Harvard and MIT have provided public statements expressing this position. She said from a reporting lens, implementing a comprehensive/ robust learner profile (transcript) and a very strong district profile is the best reassurance to our community that students  will compete at the top universities globally.

Standards-Based Grading

– Board President Andrew Caplan: President Caplan said the board acknowledges that standards-based learning has been used as a successful method of learning in the district in some form or another for decades. While not a new methodology, the new grade reporting system at Ecker Hill Middle this year has parents concerned. He said the board supports teachers 100 percent in their efforts to provide the best education possible for students. The board also recognizes that we teachers and administrations are the ones well equipped to decide what is best for the students. President Caplan asked for the community’s patience as the district continues to roll out standards-based learning that ultimately will help the teachers provide the best educational experience for children.

– Superintendent: Dr. Gildea said the shift to standards-based learning is the way the world is going. She noted that none of the districts in Utah, who are using standards-based learning, have had smooth implementations. She said parents need to be better educated about how to use the data to see where their student is succeeding and where the student needs additional help. Ultimately, she said an aligned assessment and reporting system will provide the best results for students.

Master Planning Options

Chris Guarino of NV5, the district’s owner representative, and Christine Richman with GSBS, presented options that aligned with the master planning process of the past seven months. There was consensus that the 9th grade needs to be at the high school, and 7th and 8th grade need to be together.  The four options presented were weighed against the Guiding Principles and the criteria developed by the task force groups. The presentation can be viewed here.

– Option A: K-5, 6-8, 9-12

– Option B: K-6,7-8, 9-12

– Option C: K-8, 9-12

– Option D: K-4, 5-6, 7-8 9-12

Early Learning: Pre-K learning options range from an Early Learning Center, keeping Pre-K in the elementary schools, or a combination of an Early Learning Center within neighborhood schools, and added community services (extended day, healthcare services, dental, parent learning, etc.)

The board expressed appreciation to those who have participated in this phase of the master planning. The community is encouraged to stay involved, or to get involved and offer feedback on the options in the coming weeks during community forums or an upcoming online survey.

Budget Discussion: Business Administrator Todd Hauber lead a discussion on the tentative FY2020 and final FY2019 budgets. The budget can be viewed here.

Joint Use Agreement: The board approved a joint use agreement between Snyderville Basin Recreation and Park City Municipal for use of facilities for recreation.

School Land Trust Plans: School Trust Land Plans for the 2019-20 school year have been reviewed and approved by the board.

School Fees: The board approved the 2019-20 school fee schedule. The fee schedule can be viewed here.

Public Comment

– Jessica Sheetz, a teacher at Ecker Hill Middle teacher, said standards-based learning helps students improve and targets the needs of the students. She contacted several top universities (Stanford, Yale, Penn State, Harvard, MIT, Notre Dame, etc.) who said they all receive transcripts from around the world that use a variety of reporting systems.

– Parent Dr. Glenn Schemmer said parents and students are confused about standards-based learning. He said the reporting system needs to be implemented appropriately to be successful.

– Summer Marshall, the technology instructional coach at Ecker Hill Middle, is a proponent of standards-based learning. She believes it is essential to have a reporting system that is accurate, consistent, and supports meaningful learning for students. She said schools can improve how they communicate and educate parents about the tools they have to assess their students’ learning.  

– Parent Bari Nan Rothchild said she supports standards-based learning and asks parents to trust the system and empower teachers to get the kinks out along the way. She said standards-based learning provides data that helps teachers prepare students to succeed in the 21st century.

– Dave Howard, a community member who has been involved with Park City baseball for the past 27 years, asked the board to consider adding turf to the baseball field at the high school. He said the team has not been able to have any home games because of the poor condition of the fields this time of the year. Students are missing class three times a week and getting home late from all the away games.

Policies Approved

– Policy 5015: Transportation

– Policy 5020: School Bus Emergencies

Board to Receive Future of Learning options April 16

Following seven months of input about the future of education in Park City from educators, parents, students, community members and city and county officials, GSBS Consultants will present a range of options to the Board of Education April 16.

GSBS is currently in the process of creating education scenarios and evaluating them using the Guiding Principles, educational specifications, and criteria developed by task force groups. “The options will reflect the community’s vision and make the decision-making more objective,” says Clio Rayner, project manager.

Board members will get their first look at the options during its regular board meeting on April 16 beginning at 4 p.m. at the District Office.

“One of our biggest take-aways was how much agreement we saw from teachers, students, parents and administrators around the district’s mission and values and the Guiding Principles,” says Rayner. “As we moved through the process we kept revisiting these visioning pieces and each time they were reaffirmed.”

The Guiding Principles were developed earlier this fall during the Future of Learning Summit, an all-day workshop with teachers, students, and community members. Throughout the day major themes emerged when the group considered what students would need in the future to continue to be successful learners.

The educational specifications use the Guiding Principles and outline how learning spaces can be designed to help support this vision for education, Rayner says. The specifications were developed with the input of teachers and administrators during five learning leader forum meetings. The specifications will be used to evaluate the current facilities and identify ways to improve schools that focus on education first.

The consulting team is also analyzing the physical condition of the facilities including architectural, site, structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical components. Each school is also being reviewed for educational sustainability.

During discussions with the Steering Committee, “hot topics” that would directly impact master planning decisions were identified. Task force groups were created for grade alignment, school/class size, school location, Treasure Mountain Junior High, the Kearns campus, and transportation.

“The task forces were asked to develop criteria for decision making that related to each topic. That criteria will be used to evaluate different master planning options moving forward,” Rayner says. “We didn’t ask the task forces to solve the problems, but rather asked them to develop criteria for evaluating solutions to the problem.”

Rayner said it’s important for the community to know that no single option will satisfy all community concerns. “There is still hard work to be done by the district and the community to consider which trade-offs the community is willing to make.  Our job is to present the options that reflect the community’s vision and to do it in a way that makes the decision-making more objective.”

The community is invited to visit the Future of Learning website here for more information.

Master planning consultants to conduct school listening tours

Park City School District’s master planning consultants will be hosting meetings at each school in March to get a better understanding of the issues and needs specific to each school building.

The master planning process is heading into the home stretch. This is your last chance to publicly share thoughts about the issues and needs specific to your buildings. Make your voice heard by attending your school’s meeting.

GSBS consultants will ask the following questions to parents, teachers, and community members who are invited to attend the meetings:

– What are the aspects of education at your school that contribute most to the quality of education?

– What are the most successful elements of the facility?

– What could be done to improve the facility?

– Are there things that should be fixed or addressed right away?

The Listening Tour dates and locations are listed below:

March 5: Ecker Hill Middle School, 5 p.m., 2465 West Kilby Road

March 6: Jeremy Ranch Elementary, 5:30 p.m., 3050 Rasmussen Road

 March 7: Parley’s Park Elementary, 5 p.m., 4600 Silver Springs Drive

March 7: McPolin Elementary, 5:30 p.m., 2270 Kearns Boulevard

March 11:Park City High School, 5:30 p.m., 2270 Kearns Boulevard

March 13: Trailside Elementary, 5 p.m., 5700 Trailside Drive

March 14: Treasure Mountain Junior High School, 5 p.m., 2530 Kearns Boulevard

These community engagement meetings are part of “The Future of Learning” education master planning process that has been underway since the start of this school year. The goal of this process is to create a community vision for the future of education in our District. This plan will guide the development of our educational programs, investments in our facilities, and better define what student success looks like now and in the future.

Those unable to attend their school meeting are invited to email their feedback to Clio Rayner, project manager, crayner@sbsarchitects.com.

For more information visit the Future of Education website at pcfutureoflearning.com.

Community Invited to Add Their Voices at Open Houses

Park City School District and its master planning consultants will present a progress report to the community during open houses scheduled Feb. 27 and 28. The community will get to weigh in on recommendations from educators and working groups on issues like grade realignment, class and school size, and school location.

“We are anxious to learn how community members believe these issues best support learning and academic excellence,” said Christine Richman with GSBS Consultants. “We invite the public to add their voices to this important conversation about the the future of education in Park City.”

The Feb. 27 Open House will be from 5-7 p.m. at Park City High School, and the Feb. 28 Open House will be from 6-8 p.m. at Ecker Hill Middle School.

The Steering Committee has been meeting since September. Educators have been participating in monthly Learning Leaders Forums since December and providing insight on educational visioning, key spaces for learning, and spatial concepts.

An education master plan is being created and will guide educational program development, facility investments, and ultimately student success. “The plan will focus on how students today best learn, and how the environment and teaching methods can best support academic success and excellence,” said Superintendent Jill Gildea.

The consultants will also be conducting listening tours at all PCSD schools in the coming weeks in an effort to “capture all opinions and ideas regarding individual school issues, needs, and desires,” said Richman.

It is anticipated the Board of Education will be presented the education master plan options and recommendations in April.

Education Master Plan Update: Vision for the Future

Park City School District held a learning leaders forum last night, Dec. 6, to discuss the educational vision for the district in the years to come.

Teachers and administrators met earlier in the evening to discuss current and future innovations in learning, the use of technology, personalized education, project-based curriculum, establishing professional learning communities, enhanced professional development, and the importance of relationship building.

Educators also concurred with the results of the first community online survey asking the top three skills Park City High graduates should have: 1) critical thinking/problem solving, 2) communication skills, and 3) study skills/time management.

PCHS Principal Roger Arbabi leads a small group discussion about the needs of students in the coming years.

“The committee and representative community members have provided excellent insights and feedback to date that will keep the Park City Schools leading the way in public education,” said Superintendent Jill Gildea.

The Steering Committee reviewed the proposed guiding principles for the district’s educational master plan. The principles were developed by 75 educators, students, community members, Planning and Steering Committee members during a day-long Future of Education Summit in October.

The six guiding principles include:

– Learner-centered experiences best support student growth.

– Positive and healthy schools promote safety and security.

– Relationships are nurtured and cultivated

– Meaningful engagement demands real-world learning.

– Flexible, adaptable spaces and programming support all students.

– A commitment to inclusivity provides greater access for all.

“These principles will guide the development of our educational programs and define  what student success looks like,” said Superintendent Gildea.

Steering Committee hears from teachers and administrators.

Upcoming learning leaders forums will include conversations about identifying key spaces for learning (Dec. 18), reviewing how spaces can be teaching tools (Jan. 15), developing space by space descriptions and review condition assessments (Feb. 12), and review teaching approach and space recommendations (March 12). Teachers and administrators will meet from 3:30-5:30 p.m., and the Steering Committee meets from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and observe Steering Committee meetings. All meetings will be held in the PCCAPS collaborative space at Park City High School.

Superintendent Gildea encourages the community to be engaged in the process and offer feedback along the way. The district is currently asking for the public’s best ideas on what the future of education should look like in Park City.

All agendas, minutes, and meeting recordings can be accessed on The Future of Learning website.  The next community engagement open house is planned for Feb. 6, and the website will have several online surveys to seek public input.

Options and recommendations will be presented to the Board of Education on April 15. The board will review the final recommendations and consider adoption at its May 21 meeting.

District Introduces Community to ‘The Future of Learning’ Process

Park City School District successfully launched its education master planning process, The Future of Learning, this week by seeking feedback early in the process from the community.

Monday, Oct. 29, the district held a Community Engagement Open House, with nearly 100 members of the community participating in the two sessions. “We were thrilled to see students, parents, teachers, and community members attend the open house,” said Superintendent Jill Gildea. “It allowed us the opportunity to seek ideas and input as we begin this process.”

Those attending were asked what they believe the single most important outcome of the process should be. Some responses included an environment that support the whole child, incorporating critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communications, cultural proficiency, and mastery-based proficiency, and having programs in place that will focus on careers in the world ahead.

“This process is focused on how the community anticipates teaching and learning to look in the coming years,” said Superintendent Gildea. “This is not about buildings but rather how education should drive the needs for our facilities.”

Tuesday, Oct. 30, the district held an all-day “The Future of Learning Summit” and invited 75 students, parents, teachers, principals, and business leaders to discuss the community’s vision for the education. “It was a rare opportunity to really discuss what our students will need in the future to be successful learners,” Superintendent Gildea said.

Some of the major themes that evolved from the summit included: student-centered learning as a top priority, building relationships and trust, having meaningful engagements, providing positive, health and safe learning environments that are flexible and adaptable, and being committed to an inclusive community.

The information gleaned from the summit will be shared with the Steering Committee at its next meeting on Nov. 6 in an effort to develop guiding principles for learning.

Superintendent Gildea encourages the public to stay involved throughout the yearlong process. A devoted website on The Future of Learning can be found at pcfutureoflearning.com. The community is asked to click on the “Get Involved” tab and let the district know what are the top three skills a Park City High graduate should have?”

Community Invited to Education Master Plan Open House

Park City School District is embarking on The Future of Learning, an education master planning process that looks at ways students will learn in the future.  Once complete, the education master plan will serve as a blueprint to guide educational program development, facility investments and ultimately student success.

The community is invited to attend Park City School District’s education master plan Open House on Monday, Oct. 29. Two sessions will be held — 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. — at the Summit County Sheldon Richins Building, 1885 W. Ute Boulevard in Park City.

The purpose of the Open House is to:

– Engage the community early in the planning process

– Review the process and timeline

– Conduct a planning exercise

– Inform the public how to be involved throughout the process

– Answer questions

For more information about the education master planning process, visit the district’s website, and click on The Future of Learning tab.

 

PCSD Launches ‘The Future of Learning’ Education Master Plan

Park City School District is collaborating with the collective community during the 2018-19 school year asking what they want learning to look like in the coming years. The nine-month project will ultimately produce a community-based education vision and a proposed system to deliver on that vision.

“The Future of Learning” will be the roadmap to the future for the school district,” said Superintendent Jill Gildea. “We will be asking educators, students, parents, and community members what they want learning to look like in the coming years and how that will be implemented in our District.”

Superintendent Gildea said previous master planning for the district was designed to address specific building needs. But this process focuses on how today’s students learn and how the environment and teaching methods can best support that – both now and in the future.

GSBS, a consulting firm in Salt Lake City, is assisting the district with this planning. The four-step process will include:

– Identify the community’s vision;

– Create guiding principles and education specifications;

– Analyze existing facilities as they relate to the principles, and;

– Provide final recommendations for implementation.

Community Steering Committee Created

Earlier this summer the district invited community members to volunteer for its education master planning Steering Committee. This committee will ensure that all groups have a voice and the opportunity to be involved in this long-term educational planning. The Steering Committee held its first meeting in September.

Community Engagement Open House

The community will have its first opportunity to engage with the team and the process during an evening open house on Monday, Oct. 29, at the Summit County Sheldon Richins Building Auditorium. Sessions will be held at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

The Future of Learning Summit

The following day, Oct. 30, the district has invited teachers, community members, students and the Steering Committee to attend a day-long “The Future of Learning Summit” held at the District Office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be recorded and posted to the District’s website under “The Future of Learning” tab.

Workshops

Over the next six months, the consultant team will host six additional “mini” workshops with various segments of the community to generate educator and community input into the educational specifications surrounding pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, learning spaces, and student learning experience.

Additionally, there will two more open houses (December and April) that will seek the community’s feedback on the progress made at the summit and workshops. The community will also be asked for input through a series of online surveys.

Final Recommendations

Once the education specifications have been created, the consulting team will evaluate existing facilities for alignment and the ability to deliver the education specifications. Final recommendations, including education specifications, potential facility needs, and funding will be presented to the Board of Education in May 2019.

Learn More

For more detailed information visit The Future of Learning section on the district’s website.