The Park City School Board decided to wait until January of 2020 to make a final decision on the grade alignment decision. They’ve narrowed options down from four to two. Another survey and at least two more focused task forces are being formulated.
The Park City Board of Education continues to solicit community feedback on the grade alignment options presented to them in April by the Master Planning Consultants. It’s been nearly a year of community outreach, task forces, steering committee meetings and break out efforts to gather input and define the grade alignment options. The two most popular preferences, A and D, were identified in a recent school district survey.
School Board Vice President, Erin Grady says the meeting on July 18 with the Park City Council is the next public opportunity for people to weigh in.
“We took our master planning time-line and bumped that out into, I believe, December right now. But again, that will continue on as we push through master planning and then really hope to have some solid stuff ready to go, really by the beginning of next year.”
Park City School District Superintendent Jill Gildea says they’re now focusing on early learning and secondary school learning.
“The board really charged administration with seeking additional input, feedback, in the early learning continuum, as well as the secondary which is the 6th through 12th. Because that’s really the piece of grade alignment that we are fine tuning. Right? Will it be a six, eight middle school? Will it be two, six, eight middle schools? Will it be a CTE pathway at the High School?”
They are moving ahead with scenarios A and D and will work to narrow these down to just one final plan. Gildea says another survey is in the works to get to this next step.
“Everything we’re hearing and the concurrence of the feedback. We’re going to reaffirm that. We are already at work on another survey that will be an out-reach survey to get input and looking at different ways to promote focus groups to make sure we are gathering that input along the way as well.”
Gildea explains that there are many ways to look at prospective designs for school facilities and the costs vary depending on what the community wants to see in future schools.
“To make sure people know, by the time we sit with the design team, it meets the educational specifications that come out of the plan and meets the community’s expectations. Because it’s the community that has to be happy with its school buildings for the next 30 to 50 years.”
Gildea says the recent survey supports offering Pre-K in the elementary schools but she’s not sure it’s feasible or affordable. The task force will narrow those options.
“Can we expand every school to be big enough for three to five-year-old’s, plus the K-5. Or should there be a hybrid which would be more expensive. So, I think that would be the part where I think we really want the early learning leadership team to look at that along with community partners. And, we’ve already had people reach out to say they want to be a part of these teams.”
The next school board meeting is scheduled for August 20th. A link to the grade alignment options can be found here: http://www.pcschools.us/page/381/
