School board meets at Cleveland Elementary

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The Emery County School Board met at Cleveland Elementary to begin the school year. Each month during the school year they visit a different school in the district and hold their meetings there.
Shaun Alton the new head baseball coach at Emery High asked for permission for the team to travel to a tournament in Mesquite, Nevada instead of the one they have attended in Montrose, Colo. in the past. Costs are comparable and the distance is similar. The Mesquite tournament will give the team four games instead of the usual three they play in Colorado. He said the team will not stay in a casino. They will be playing mostly Utah 2A schools with similar classifications and also teams from Nevada. The request was approved.
The board approved names for open positions. Positions that still need to be filled are half-day custodian at Huntington Elementary and half-day resource aide at Huntington Elementary and Ferron Elementary.
JR Jones principal at BookCliff Elementary explained the new citizenship policy. He said last year there were significant behavioral issues at the school. The new policy is aligned with junior high and high school policies. The students will be required to work off hours for infractions. They are focusing also on character education and that the way they treat others is important.
He doesn’t believe the policy is too strict because he would like to achieve more academic focus and less time dealing with behavioral issues. They have started implementing the plan and early on they have had less trouble than last year. They would like to make in-class time more productive. They are working also to improve the grade at their school. They plan to give a copy of the policy to the parents. They introduced it at their back to school night and didn’t receive any comments from parents.
Board member Marie Johnson said in her experience the students will rise to the expectations they are given. She would also like to see positive rewards added to the policy. Principal Jones said each quarter all children in good citizenship standing will be able to attend an activity.
The policy was approved.
Principal John Hughes from Cottonwood Elementary presented his new citizenship policy. They designed the policy as a faculty. It clearly outlines expectations for students. Each family will be given a copy of the new policy. No dodgeball on the playground is one of the rules, it has been a source of bullying at the school. Organized dodgeball with teacher supervision at PE class is OK.
Business Administrator Jared Black said they have been working on an activity pass for employees and board members. They would get a punch for each activity they attend and could bring one guest. There would be 20 punches in all. The passes would be good for sports, plays, etc. The punches would be submitted to the district office once a month and then the school would be reimbursed for the activity. After the kinks are worked out, the activity pass could be extended to the public.
The audits are going well and the auditors were in the district last week going over the financials.
Principal Jerel Lofley from Cleveland Elementary said they have a new custodian, Mike Scow and Tina Allred is the new fifth grade teacher. Jodi Sitterud and Carl Jensen left the school and moved to the junior high. Shalee Bennett is the three hour trustlands aide and Cassie Thatcher is the three hour class reduction aide.
They are working with the assessment to achievement program and using SAGE data to help students progress by knowing where the student sits academically. It’s called Evidence Based Instruction Strategy. They will give feedback to parents and students on progress and parents will know areas where they can help as well.
The team teaching this went to training throughout the summer.
The school focuses on the 4Rs. Rights, Respect, Responsibility and Recognition for their citizenship program. The students receive a reward and have their picture in the Emery County Progress when they achieve the goals for good citizenship.
Vice-chairman Royd Hatt thanked Principal Lofley for the good school Cleveland is and for his work with the children.
Superintendent Larry Davis thanked Laurel Johansen and Julie Wilson for participating in the opening institute. He said Roger Swenson and the transportation department won a gold award in August for their bus maintenance. There were only minor infractions.
The STEM program has been launched and USU Eastern is donating $10,000 to the school district to enhance STEM education. Ralph Worthen has compiled first day of school data on enrollment. From 2015 the district enrollment is down anywhere from 52-20 students. There have been growths in some grade levels in the secondary schools. Final numbers will be assembled later in the year after all the shuffling around is complete.
The state board of education is recommending full funding for the Service Centers. The Service Center assists local schools and also sponsors the annual spelling bee. They work in technology and professional development. The state board of education has also adopted a resolution in opposition to the Bears Ears National Monument. It would negatively impact the schools in that district.
The school report cards were released and then updated. They became public on Sept. 15. The school board will have a work session before their October meeting to discuss the school report cards.
On the transgender restroom issue a lawsuit has been filed by 20 states challenging the action. A federal judge in Texas added an injunction against the Department of Education and right now it’s in litigation. Superintendent Davis said it would be handled on a case by case basis, but the district has a plan in place.
The new academic pathway to teaching was approved around the time school started. This is being done to help alleviate the teacher shortage around the state. If you have a bachelor’s degree or higher and you can pass the Praxis exams you can be on the road to licensure. Local school boards can also set their own list of requirements for those wishing to become teachers. Superintendent Davis said they will discuss in the administrative council meeting how to help these non-teachers with the skills to succeed in the classroom. They will receive classroom management training. He said it won’t differ much from the new teacher training they give each year to teachers entering the classroom. Evaluations will also be completed on these teachers.
Board members will be participating on various committees including the Future Ready Leadership Planning Team, District Calendar committee and the SAGE Testing and HB 200 committee. This SAGE testing committee will be determining if the 11th grade SAGE testing will continue to be given in the Emery District. They are gathering information so they can make a recommendation to the board.
The technology committee met and went over their plan. There are grant funds available to help implement this plan. Funding is guaranteed for at least the next two years. The state board of education will host a regional meeting for Emery and Carbon School Districts. They will give an update on the legislature.