Category Archives: OCR

Are School Boards Too Insulated? (Deseret News)

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By John Florez , Deseret News Published: Saturday, March 2 2013 12:00 a.m. MST Sometimes the cover up is worse than the problem. School boards often appear to avoid dealing with serious policy matters. At Salt Lake school district meeting last week, board members were listening to a presentation by their staff regarding the district’s Student Achievement Plan. One of the presenters noted a correlation between student achievement and teacher effectiveness, which prompted newly-elected board … Continue reading →

Mandatory Teacher Transfers? (Updated 03/07/13)

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  Picture taken on 02/25/13 -SLTA Leadership with Michael Clara TEXT OF EMAIL TO SLTA LEADERSHIP: Dear Ms. Tzourtzouklis, Ms. McFarland & Mr. Harman, I have received several calls from teachers who cited an email they received referencing your joint opposition to my “idea of mandatory teacher transfers in our schools”. I am so sorry that following our meeting on Monday, I left you with the impression that I supported that concept because I do … Continue reading →

Salt Lake City School District Favors East Side, Says Board Member (KSL)

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By Andrew Adams  Link To Video SALT LAKE CITY — Is Salt Lake City’s east side better than the west side? When it comes to elementary school teachers, one school board member thinks so. Michael Clara filed a federal complaint accusing the Salt Lake City School District of not allocating enough resources to west side schools. Clara said there are too many inexperienced and ineffective teachers at west side elementary schools, due to attrition. Why … Continue reading →

Complaint Charges Inequality at Salt Lake Schools (San Francisco Chronicle)

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By PAUL FOY, Associated Press Updated 10:18 am, Thursday, February 28, 2013 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A school board member’s complaint about inexperienced teachers at schools in Salt Lake City’s working-class neighborhoods is raising a debate about perceived inequalities in public education. Board member Michael Clara filed the federal civil-rights complaint this week against his own school district, where administrators responded with a statement scolding him for ignoring protocols. Clara said he tried to bring up a discussion … Continue reading →

Do West-Side Salt Lake City Kids Have Too Many Ineffective Teachers? (Tribune)

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Education•School board member Michael Clara files complaint with federal civil rights office, concerned about disproportionate numbers of effective,experienced teachers in eastside schools.BY SHEENA MCFARLAND AND RAY PARKER THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 26, 2013 11:38AM UPDATED: FEBRUARY 26, 2013 05:48PMA Salt Lake City School Board member filed a complaint Tuesday with the federal Office of Civil Rights asserting there are too many ineffective and inexperienced teachers in west-side schools.Michael Clara, who represents the city … Continue reading →

Board President Responds To My “Board Agenda Process” Letter (Emails)

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Vice President Bennett referred to this email in the 01/08/2013 board meeting and several people have asked me about. I am posting it here, as well as the original letter (see Board Agenda Process Letter post) that solicited the response: Response to your letter Heather Bennett <heatherbennett@xmission.com> 12/31/12   to me, Kristi, Mckell Michael, I hope your holiday was a happy one. Please forgive the delay in sending this response. Apparently, I miscommunicated and thought it had already gone out.    … Continue reading →