Category Archives: McKell Moment

Race to the Top Grant: Our Students Lost out in 2012 –Why?

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061813RTTBM   Audio of School Board Meeting In our June 18, 2013 School Board meeting, department heads were present to share the district’s 2012-13 Accomplishments. One item in particular caught my attention was RACE TO THE TOP grant. About 20 minutes into the meeting I asked why it was listed as an accomplishment if we were not awarded the grant. The attached audio is the portion of the meeting where Christine Marriott with the Assessment Department … Continue reading →

School Board Authority: Abdicated (Audio)

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Current School Board policy and state law give authority to the Board of Education to “employ by contract and set salary schedules for the superintendent, business administrator, principals, teachers, and other employees of the district.” Board Policy B1 In our last school board meeting of July 9, 2013, at Snowbird ski resort, I questioned why we were not following that policy. In the audio you will hear the superintendent state that the process has not … Continue reading →

Board Retreat: Evasive Maneuvers on OCR Complaint (Audio)

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School Board Annual Retreat  2013-07-09-Board-MeetingOCR1 Audio #1 starts about 55 minutes into the meeting   2013-07-09-Board-MeetingOCR2 Audio #2 starts 5 minutes after the previous one  In this blog I have posted two short audios of the July 9, 2013, School Board annual retreat. In this meeting the school board sets the list of priorities of issues that they will address in the coming school year. In these two audios you will hear the superintendent and … Continue reading →

Superintendent’s Growing Compensation: $220,244.00

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During the Budget process earlier this year I proposed an amendment to the budget that would give our employees a 3% COLA increase in order to match the 3% annual bonus that the Superintendent receives. It was voted down by the Board and the Superintendent somewhat denied that he revived a bonus. This year the School Board gave the Superintendent a 6% increase and gave our Teachers (& all employees) a  1% increase School Board … Continue reading →

Utah State Auditor’s Office Denies School District’s GRAMA Request

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070913boardAuditor Audio of a portion of the meeting In the July 9, 2013, School Board meeting at Snowbird (annual retreat), the Superintendent distributed a letter that the District received from the Sate Auditor’s Office denying the District’s GRAMA request. Board member Laurel Young then demanded that the superintendent calculate the cost that this and other complaints filed by me are costing the District. I responded that we should also calculate the cost that a 52% … Continue reading →