• Heritage Elementary School

    School Community Council

    Minutes 

    Wednesday, October 18, 2023

     

    In attendance: Lance Robins, Kendal Welker, Maria Jones, Sara Anderson, Melisa Richardson, Julie Clark, Andrea Linton, Carol DeFriez, Shalayne Merrill, Eva Pena, Tim Smith, Jeff Nielsen, Scott Rigby, Austin Brandley

    1. Welcome to Heritage Community Council

    2. Approve the last meeting’s minutes

      1. Motion to approve 

    1st Kendal Welker 2nd Julie Clark

    1. Review this year's membership and take attendance.

    1. Kendall Welker (Chair-Parent)

    2. Sara Anderson (Vice Chair-Parent)

    3. Julie Clark (Parent)

    4. Melisa Richardson (Parent)

    5. Maria Jones (Teacher)

    6. Lance Robins (Principal)

    7. Andrea Linton (Secretary, non-voting)

    1. Bond information presentation (Tim Smith)

      1. Information is available on this site.

      2. The slides from the presentation are on this site.

      3. The school district serves 27 communities, with nearly 20,000 students at 25 schools. There are also many additional students within the boundaries who are currently home-schooled or who take online school, so the numbers would be even higher with these students.

      4. In 2013 a $129 million bond was passed to address things like new high schools, seismic upgrades, new elementary schools, and the conversion of middle schools to elementary schools. The board has been aggressive with refinancing and saved the district 12 million dollars.

      5. The district has had over 4,000 new students since the last bond, which is the equivalent of almost one elementary school per year. The board uses a population study from Utah State University whenever it looks at new bonds. The study has been pretty accurate in predicting growth in the valley. The birth rate in the valley has dropped, and kindergarten student numbers have been lower in the past three years. Most of the growth in the valley is due to migration. They expect growth to level off in 4-5 years.

      6. Twelve schools in the district are over capacity. The district uses 38 portable classrooms.

      7. This bond would provide all-day kindergarten for all the schools. The state has funded all-day kindergarten. It is fully operational in 6 schools in the district, partially available in 6 more schools, and it is not available in 5 schools. It is difficult to tell some communities that they don’t have access to all-day kindergarten.

      8. The district has a building task force. Board members nominated 2-3 members from their communities to join the district members on this task force. Their task was to resolve over-capacity problems, provide all-day kindergarten, meet the needs of the community, plan for growth, and find a better solution for how the middle schools feed into the high schools.

      9. The building task force recommended a solution to the problem: build two new middle schools in Nibley and Hyde Park. 

      10. Advantages of this solution: Sixth grade would be moved to middle school, capacity problems would be addressed, all communities would have access to all-day kindergarten, middle school students would all go to the same high school which is not the case now, tax rates would not be raised, and it would allow for future growth.

      11. The new middle school in Hyde Park would look like a scaled-down version of Ridgeline. It saves money on architect fees if the district reuses building plans.

      12. The new middle school in Nibley would be located next to Heritage. The district is doing a traffic study to make sure everything is in line. They’re going to flip the field that is shown in the presentation so that it’s further from 3200 S, and they’ll put parking next to 3200 S. There will be a road that will exit behind Heritage and there will be a sidewalk to the south field. The existing east parking lot at Heritage will get more spaces, and there will be a big parking lot for the faculty to the east, with more faculty parking to the north. Buses will come from the northwest and will go through the north faculty parking lot. They found that fewer parents drop off students in middle school than in elementary. The middle school students would all go to the same high school.

      13. There was a comment that it is very important to parents of students in the DLI program to know what schools DLI students will go to. Tim said the district discussed the DLI program extensively, and one proposal was that the DLI programs could combine at Cedar Ridge and Spring Creek as magnet schools. The advantage of this is that there would be less competition between students in and out of the program, but a disadvantage could be that some parents would need to drive more. The district wanted this to be decided by the community and not be part of the bond. Logan City School District put both DLI programs in one school and they like it, so the Cache County School District has been talking with them about this. There was a comment that if both DLI programs were in one school, it would cause more traffic and more driving. Tim said that the district currently will take DLI students on a bus if the parents drop them off at a bus stop. There was a comment that the DLI program may not be worth it to some parents if they have to drive. The district felt it shouldn’t be tied to the bond and that the parents should talk it through.

      14. The new elementary school in Hyde Park will use the same model/floor plan as Heritage.

      15. Spring Creek will be an elementary school, and there was a comment that this school’s design could potentially work well for a magnet school. Changing Spring Creek to an elementary school would allow for growth. 

      16. Nibley City expected growth, but they lost 56 students this year.

      17. There is no specific plan for the DLI program. The magnet school idea is just a proposal and only a proposal. The discussion would happen after the middle schools are built. 

      18. The district is aggressive with school safety. They replaced intercoms and put access controls in all of the elementary schools. They have already seen examples in the valley where it was good that the front door was locked. They added access controls that allow the principal to lock down a school, they added cameras in elementary schools, and they will continue doing this no matter what happens with the bond. They have an emergency response system that will connect with dispatch. If there are safety deficits, they would like to use bond money. They’d like vestibules inside so that people can’t bypass the office when they enter. If they can eliminate portables with this bond, kids won’t be outside, and it would be safer. 

      19. The district applied for a state safety grant. A question was asked which safety upgrades will be addressed with grant funds or bond funds. All 25 schools applied for funds. Only about 200 schools in the state applied for the 72 million grant, so there is a good chance we’ll get it. The district has 4 to 5 priorities that the schools could choose from. Schools chose between reinforced glass and cameras/intercom/PA system upgrades. It will cost about $200,000 to upgrade to reinforced glass at Heritage. The district would get about $4 million if all projects were funded. 

      20. If the bond resolution is approved, it will be paid off over 20 years. The tax rate would not be raised. It would just commit the community to pay for additional bond years. If they do nothing, the current bond would be paid off in 7 years, and taxes would be lower after that. This bond extends the commitment for 20 years. The district is in good shape because of refinancing, so there is no tax rate increase related to this bond. The tax rate can remain at current or at lower levels. The district will build the buildings without increasing taxes. Taxes only increase if the taxable value of a property increases, otherwise what a property owner currently pays would not increase. On the ballot, the district is communicating that property owners are already paying these taxes. The community would just pay for a longer time. For example, an average home pays $234 for the debt because the average home in the valley is valued at over $500,000. If there was no debt, the property owner would keep that $234. We currently have the lowest tax rate since 1997.

      21. The district will not need new teachers, but they’ll need new administrators, custodians, and secretaries, and they will need to pay for utilities.

      22. They discussed trading property in Nibley, but the mayor didn’t have a piece of property large enough to trade. It made sense to build on the land next to Heritage that they’ve already paid off. The PTA’s concern was school safety and middle school students mixing with elementary students. The two schools would have staggered times, so most middle school students would leave before the elementary school students get out. Melisa commented that she worked in a situation where an elementary school was next to a middle school, and she saw no problems.

      23. What happens if the bond doesn’t pass? Portables are expensive, and the district can only put so many on a site, so they may have to move to a year-round schedule. About half of the buildings don’t have air conditioning, which would cost about $35 to $45 million to add. The district did year-round school before, and it was not popular with teachers or parents, but the district can’t continue to operate like this. In addition, they may not be able to provide all-day kindergarten without the bond. A survey showed that 70% of parents wanted 6th grade in middle school. Melisa asked how many parents wanted all-day kindergarten. Tim said 94-96% of parents opt into all-day kindergarten when it is offered in the state. Parents will still have the option for half-day kindergarten. Melisa wondered how kindergarten is managed. Julie said that in Millville Elementary, they have two full-day kindergarten teachers, and one teacher that teaches half and half.

      24. Sara asked about the capacity problems in Hyrum. Canyon Elementary is at about 103-108% capacity. There would be modest school boundary changes, and the district would work it out with the parents. 

      25. The district currently allows Millville students to go to Spring Creek because it’s closer even though it’s over capacity.

      26. Melisa asked what other groups were asking about the bond. Tim said the most common question was “When?”. The construction team and architect have already been hired. They would start next summer, and they hope to have the middle schools open in the fall of 2026, with the elementary opening a year afterward.

      27.  It will be mostly mail-in votes this year, and the district encourages everyone to vote. Voting day will be November 21 this year.

      28. The 6th-grade DLI would change from 3 hours of Spanish to 1 hour if it moved to middle school. 

     

    1. The school website is up and running

      1. Contact person for website issues: Shalayne Merrill

      2. https://www.ccsdut.org/heritage

      3. They’re doing an audit in two days, we’re set to go. Ours looks very good. 

      4. We need to vote on the new rules of order and then it will be posted on the site.

    2. Safety week is October 30 - November 3 (Carol DeFriez, PTA representative, discussed activities )

      1. The PTA is still working out the details. They would like a fire truck to come to the school.

      2. October 30 - Students will wear neon

      3. October 31  - Students will wear Halloween costumes

      4. November 1 - Crazy hair day for internet safety

      5. November 2 - Students will wear purple for mental health

      6. November 3 - Students will wear red for drug safety

      7. This information will be in the school newsletter that will be distributed soon.

    3. School Land Trust reports

      1. Due October 30, 2022

      2. Principal Assurance has been completed

      3. Council Membership has been completed

      4. All reports are listed on the school website

      5. Additional report information is available at the School Land Trust website

    4. Front entry doors

      1. The doors have been locked all school year, and a camera has been installed.

      2. We have people here working on our doors right now. We’ll have the capacity to lock all doors from our office or the district office. All our FOB readers will be replaced. All entrances to the school will have central control to lock and unlock. We should have FOB readers at all entrances.

      3. One portable will have a FOB reader. The portables are always locked.

    5. Rules of Order

      1. The council needs 4 members present for a quorum to conduct business

      2. There is no cap on the number of terms a person can serve if they are reelected. Each member has a two-year term before their seat goes up for reelection.

      3. Kendal made a motion to approve the new rules of order. Julie seconded the motion. Everyone was in favor. Nobody was opposed. The motion was passed. 

      4. The council didn’t expand the number of seats to more parents because the council would have to fill those spots every year, which could be problematic if there was little interest. Anyone can come to the meetings, they just won’t be a voting member. The meetings are open to the public. The PTA works the same way. People can comment, but the members vote. 

    6. School Land Trust budget year to date

      1. Roll-over funds: $3,890

      2. Allocation: $106,988

      3. Total budget: $110,878

      4. Amount used: $35,652.30 - this was used for technology, and now we will use funds on paraprofessionals

      5. Amount left: $75,225.70

      6. Percent remaining: 67.85%

    7. School information

      1. Information is delivered through the PTA newsletter, the school website, and weekly emails.

      2. Halloween

        1. Students will be encouraged to dress up as their favorite book characters. Students are required to follow the dress code.

        2. No masks, no weapons, no glitter

        3. Students need to be able to get in and out of their costume by themselves

        4. More information is available on Heritage’s website.

    8. School Grade

      1. We still don’t have a grade, but they gave us performances

      2. We are exemplary in growth

      3. We are commendable on achievement

      4. English learner progress is in development right now. We need to help these learners on a growth path.

    9. Safe Routes Utah (replacing SNAP, Student Neighborhood Access Program) 

      1. For updated information about routes to help students get to and from school safely, please see the Safe Routes Utah website.

      2. A link to Safe Routes Utah is also available on the school website.

      3. We have two guards at the roundabout west of the school, and we have a crossing guard to the east of the school on 3200 S. Stop signs are listed on this website.

      4. We have a safe route from the back of the school that often gets overlooked. 

      5. We don’t have a fence on the east side of the property

      6. We want to watch this and improve our routes when we can. This is important to Heritage’s school community council. 

      7. We update these routes and make changes. 

      8. We would like to move the crossing guard on 800 W and 3200 S in front of the school, but we have to wait until there is a sidewalk on the other side of 3200 S. That would make it a 20 mph zone in front of the school.

      9. We have crosswalks alongside 3200 S, but we want students to cross further north where Heritage teachers serve as crossing guards. It’s working well. The teachers are great for providing this service and parents appreciate it. 

      10. Sara commented that kids ride their bikes on 3200 S towards the roundabout, or east after the crosswalk, and mentioned that this could be unsafe if they crash next to a car, so it would be safer for them to ride on the sidewalk. Heritage can send out a notice about this. 

    10. Other items

      1. The dress code is the district’s policy. Melisa commented that she has seen students wearing shorts that do not meet the dress code. Lance said that when a student gets called into the office for a dress code violation, sometimes that’s the only outfit they have, and for the most part the students do a remarkable job. The school will work with the small minority that has problems. Lance likes to focus on the positive at Heritage (for example, instead of saying “Don’t bully,” the school focuses on kindness and what the students should do instead of what they shouldn’t do). The office helps a lot with the dress code, and Heritage takes a sensitive approach to it. Lance said the students will grow up and remember these conversations, and he’s mindful of that. The principal, teachers, and parents work together to help the students. 

      2. A comment was made that Halloween is a good opportunity to let students know there is a dress code. 

      3. Lance loves his job. He says that even if we don’t get things worked out with an individual today, we will eventually.

      4. The next meeting will be held on 11/8/23 at 4 pm

     

    1. Thanks for Attending

    1. Motion to Close 

    1st Sarah Anderson 2nd Julie Clark