Note: Recordings and documents for agenda items can be accessed via BoardDocs by clicking on the corresponding agenda items.

New Board Leadership

By unanimous vote, the Board of Education selected Andrew Edtl as a new Board Vice President. The District No. 4 representative will serve with President Amber Shill and Co-Vice President Amanda Oaks as the leadership trio of the CSD elected governing panel. He immediately assumes the leadership role held by Mont L. Millerberg at the time of his unexpected death in February. Edtl, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, was elected to the Canyons Board of Education in November 2022.  He’s a graduate of Western Governors University and earned a master’s in business administration from Westminster College.

Capital Project Updates

Plans to start construction projects at Jordan High, Eastmont Middle, Hillcrest High, and Corner Canyon High are progressing at a rapid clip. The projects are being done with funds from a $50 million lease-revenue bond approved in February by the Board of Education. The Board sought the financing to start the work on the schools as soon as possible. Business Administrator Leon Wilcox said work on the $21 million Jordan High project, which includes improvements to restrooms, the irrigation system, and parking lot, as well as the construction of a new fieldhouse and a black box theater, could start as soon as this summer. The $13 million project at Eastmont starts with the installation of a new roof. A new security vestibule also is planned for the Patriots. A springtime study of the groundwater flowing under the school will determine the size and scope of drains in the basement, Wilcox said. A retention pond and storm tech system also will likely be needed. Work on the planned gym-floor replacement and new locker rooms will need to be postponed until the water issues are contained, he said. Updates to classrooms will be built to dovetail with the school’s recent acceptance as an official STEM school of the STEM Action Center. At Hillcrest, plans are underway to replace the artificial turf and expand the track from six to eight lanes. Safety is the focus of several planned projects to be done at CCHS with funds from the lease-revenue bond. Included in the $12.9 million improvement plan for the Charger campus is the construction of a security vestibule and the installation of turf on the baseball, softball and soccer fields. Work on those parts of the CCHS project could start in June, Wilcox said.  A new field house also will be built as part of the improvement project. 

Information Technology Update

A migration to Qmlativ — the newest version of Skyward, the software used by Canyons to maintain financial, personnel, and student data — will start in April 2025, Information Technology Director Scot McCombs told the Board of Education. The move from Skyward to Qmlativ is just one of the projects being done by the IT department, said McCombs. Canyons IT professionals were the brain behind the launch of Technology Connect Portal, which links families with information they can use to spark meaningful safety and digital citizenship. In February, the automated system started alerting families whenever a student used a school-managed Chromebook to search terms that could be related to violence or self-harm. Through the portal, parents can modify Internet filtering setting on their student’s Chromebook, review how much their student spends logged into their school-issued device during the school day, and check whether their child has searched the Internet for inappropriate content. In addition, The IT department combats cyberattacks and hacking attempts, as well as installing and maintaining the planned emergency-response systems such as CrisisGo, surveillance cameras, and automated security systems. During his presentation, McCombs answered questions about CSD’s direction regarding a transition to a .gov domain instead of staying with .org.  To support academics, McCombs said CSD has adopted a 1-1 device model.  This gives all students access to technology to aid in learning. Elementary students have access to Chromebooks and iPads at school. Middle school and high school students can take their Chromebooks home, he said. IT-related future projects include the continued migration from Skyward to Qmlativ, a rotation of all student devices and staff technology, and a rotation of technology infrastructure. Bridging the digital divide continues to be a challenge in CSD, he said. According to recent survey data, about 2,000 families in CSD can only connect to the Internet at home through a cell phone. 

Strategic Plan

After reviewing enrollment data of CSD’s Dual Language Immersion program, the subcommittee that covers the “Operations” focus of the Strategic Plan will study reasons why families are not seeking spots in Mandarin Chinese-English and French-English DLI programs — but interest continues to rise for the Spanish-English DLI programs. Business Administrator Leon Wilcox also provided information about recruitment of teachers. Only 37 teaching positions have yet to be filled for the coming year, he said, and few Education Support Professional jobs remain open.  To gather feedback about the operations of the District, Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins has continued his Listening Tour. Twenty-seven Listening Tour meetings have been held so far this school year.

Bell Schedule

The Board of Education approved a bell schedule for the 2024-2025 school year. Secondary schools will remain the same. Elementary schools will change slightly because of the additional protected planning time that will be given to teachers next year. Each school will add 10 minutes to the school day Monday through Friday. The 2024-2025 bell schedule can be accessed on BoardDocs. 

Board Meeting Schedule

A proposed schedule of meetings for the 2025-2026 school year was reviewed by the Canyons Board of Education. 

Sex Education Instruction Committee

A District committee charged with reviewing sex education instruction materials for CSD classrooms asked the Board to approve the classroom use of new presentations on healthy teenage relationships and video clips about getting an epidural, third-state labor, and primary vertex cesarean. Instructional Supports Department Program Administrator Jesse Hennefer said the committee reviewed the materials in March. The committee typically meets twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, to evaluate resources, speakers, and curriculum related to sex and health instruction. The committee also studies such county health data as rates of adolescent births, child sexual abuse, and sexual transmitted diseases. Hennefer also presented data regarding disciplinary issues categorized as pornography. 

Student Advisory Council

Students from Hillcrest and Jordan high schools spoke about their experiences on the Board’s Student Advisory Council, which meets monthly with Board members and the Administration to provide input on policies and proposals that could impact students. 

LAND Trust and TSSP Plans

Proposed TSSP and LAND Trust plans for the 2024-2025 school year have been distributed to the Board of Education for their review and possible signature. School Performance Director Alice Meridith reminded the Board of a May 10 state deadline for the plans.  Plans are considered approved once at least two Board members have reviewed and signed the documents. 

Consent Agenda

The Board of Education approved the Consent Agenda, including the minutes for the March 26, 2024 meeting of the Board; hire and termination reports; student-overnight travel requests; and purchasing bids. 

School Highlights

Butler Elementary Principal Jeff Nalwalker said his school’s teachers are grateful for the vote by the Board to guarantee extra protected planning time in next year’s schedule. While catered meals and wellness initiatives have helped boost Butler teacher morale, he said, the teachers have told him they benefit most from having more time to prepare for instruction. With that in mind, the school has recently rearranged schedules and arranged for volunteers to take classes for short periods of time so teachers could engage in more planning time. Nalwalker also read notes of appreciation from his faculty for the newly adopted schedule.  He expressed appreciation for the seven years he’s served as Butler’s principal.  He will become Quail Hollow’s principal next year.

Patron Comment

The following patron addressed the Board during Patron Comment. Recordings of the patron’s remarks can be accessed on BoardDocs.

• Christa Reid
• Miranda Jones
• Chandra Tillotson
• Sen. Kathleen Riebe

Canyons Strong Student Recognitions

The following were recognized for their achievements:

• Hillcrest High’s production of “Into the Woods,” which received seven nominations in the Utah High School Musical Theater Awards.  Alta’s “Mean Girls” received one nomination.
• Corner Canyon hoops star Brody Kozlowski for being named the 6A Player of the Year.
• Students who did eight projects that won awards at the University of Utah Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
• The 31 students from Alta, Brighton, Corner Canyon, Hillcrest, and Jordan high schools for earning Academic All-State honors for winter sports.
• Brighton High students who testified against a bill that would prohibit Utah schools from using the trimester class schedule.