Board Briefs

The Davis School District Board of Education enjoyed a presentation of student visual art awards for the 2023-2024 school year. Fine Arts Supervisor Shanda Stenger prepared and shared the presentation below during the board meeting.

The Board gave a special tribute and honor to two student board members who have served on the board for the 2023-2024 school year. Each student board member shared a brief statement about what they have learned this past year.

"Something I learned while being on the board is that there are a lot of different people out there with a lot of different views," said Senior Joshua Barrera. "It's always super good to have an idea of what others think and to hear from everybody."

"I have learned how to work with a lot of different people," said Senior Brieanna Mason. "And I've learned how to be a leader; I'm usually in the background and don't like to speak up but this has helped me a lot."

Board Member Brigit Gerrard shared information about Dr. Gwen Hill's service to the school district. Hill has worked in education for 26 years.

Since coming to Davis School District in 2000, she has been a teacher, an intern, a principal in several elementary schools and an elementary director since 2015.

"How do you thank someone who has given her very best to children for over 26 years?" asked Gerrard during her presentation. "The impact that [Hill] has had is impossible to calculate."

1st place winner - Jet Johnson, Mueller Park Jr. High

2nd place winner - Zoey Head, Sunburst Elementary

3rd place winner - Aubrey Folsom, West Bountiful Elementary

The Board of Education announced the appointment of Tim Leffel as the new District Business Administrator.

Leffel will take the oath of office on Oct. 1 as the new Business Administrator. Current Business Administrator Craig Carter will be retiring November 2024.

For more details and information related to each listed business item below, please see the BoardBook Premier board meeting agenda.

The Davis School District Board of Education reviewed and approved the negotiated agreements with the Davis Education Association pending ratification and the Davis Education Support Professionals for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

The agreement for licensed employees included a 6.22% total compensation increase. The increase percentages included such highlights as:

• Base increase - 1.85%
• Steps/level increase - 1.49%
• Legislative ESA increase - 0.77%
• TSSA increase - 0.11%
• One-time payment - 2.00%
• Insurance increase 6.40%
• 32 hours of prep and/or professional development
• Starting teacher salary $60,928

The agreement for support professionals included a 6.80% total compensation increase. The increase percentages included such highlights as:

• Base increase - 1.85%
• Steps - 1.75%
• One-time payment - 2.00%
• Job study - 1.2%
• Insurance increase - 6.4%

The agreement for all other employees included the following increase in percentages:

• Base salary - 1.85%
• Steps - 1.4%
• One-time payment - 2.00%
• Insurance increase - 6.40%
• Principals - 32 hours prep/professional development

Other key funding priorities include:

• Money funded for half the operating costs of the new junior high school
• Utility cost increases
• Two new secondary intern positions
• 6.75 new elementary intern positions
• Additional classroom teacher assistant positions for regular education and special education
• Cost of background checks as required by H121

Davis School District Assessment Director Dr. Greg Wilkey reviewed the expectations and timeline for board review of school improvement plans in conjunction with Teacher and Student Success Act and Land Trust Funding.

Davis School District Data Privacy Supervisor Jon Hyatt shared instructions and information about the app that was created in-house by the Davis School District to house the school improvement plans for each school.

This tool will allow the school board members to review the school plans easily online and approve them so that administrators can move forward with their summer planning for the 2024-25 school year.

The School Board voted 4-3 in favor of whole class instruction material in the book A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness for grades 9-12.

The board also voted 6-1 to approve the Mind Up Curriculum, a curriculum that provides brain-focused strategies for learning for grades K-8.

All other instructional material adoptions listed were approved unanimously:

• Secondary Word Connections and Word Gen - secondary curriculum for reading intervention.
• Healthy Life Stars - elementary health and PE supplemental program for K-6 students in teaching nutrition, activity and goal setting.
• Kids Scoop - student focused newspaper to build skills in literacy, science, social studies and math for elementary content reading.

• Head Start / Early Head Start Report
• Fremont Elementary surplus
• Updates to district policy 5S-204 Random Drug Testing for Student Athletes - First and final reading approval
• Updates to 5S-304 Student Toilet Training Requirements - First reading approval

The following capital improvements were reviewed by the Board of Education and bids were awarded to the following companies:

• Syracuse High School Parking Addition awarded to 3XL Construction, Inc. for $1,848,532.32.
• Printing Services Department Relocation Architect Selection awarded to MHTN Architects.
• Freeport Center Refrigeration Upgrade Construction Manager/General Contractor Selection awarded to Hogan & Associates Construction.
• Northridge High School Air Conditioning Upgrade awarded to VBFA.