Cyprus
High School community topics
Addressing school concerns
When there are specific concerns regarding a
school such as student supervision, littered grounds and hallways, teacher dress
standards, student safety, changing the structure of lunch recess, student
discipline, teacher assignments and grading procedures, patrons should contact
the principal and/or the School Community Council for assistance in addressing
the problems. If the patron does not receive satisfaction in resolving the
concern, then it is appropriate to call the School Services Director, who
supervises the principal, and ask for assistance in resolving the concern.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Creation of
school
district
calendar
The calendar is created by the calendar
committee consisting of parents, teachers and administrators. All parents in the
district are surveyed every few years to determine the critical elements desired
for the calendar such as starting/ending dates and the length of winter, fall
and spring recesses. The
calendar committee uses this information, along with state requirements of 180
days of instruction (170 for year round) to formulate the calendar. A new survey
will be administered this spring. Immediate feedback on the calendar can be
addressed by contacting Mr. Paul Hansen at
pohansen@graniteschools.org.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Patron communication with the superintendent and other
district leaders
At times, parents of Granite District
students have concerns with school or district programs, and they need answers
or solutions to local problems. Superintendent Stephen F. Ronnenkamp is willing
to help parents resolve any such problems, and he believes that your best
solution lies where the problem exists.
It is suggested that parents or other
community members who have school or class concerns, should first address them
directly with the appropriate teacher or principal. If you don’t receive a
satisfactory response, you may contact the superintendent’s office at 646-4529,
or you may send him an
e-mail message.
You may also address your concerns
about a school, principal, or teacher with a district School Services director
at 646-4535. If your concern is about a district program, you may contact the
director of that program using the
Contact Us directory on
our website.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Community council funds
The School Community Council helps direct funding to meet the goals of the SSAP
(School Student Achievement Plan) and the school LAND Trust Plan. The funding
source for these plans comes from both QTSA and LAND Trust funds. State
guidelines limit the acceptable expenditures from these funds. Check with your
principal or School Community Council Chair for specific details.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Mandatory kindergarten
Although the state of Utah does not mandate kindergarten attendance, most
children do attend kindergarten during their first year of school. Many of the
elementary schools in Granite School District now offer optional extended day
kindergarten as well. A specific allocation has been provided by the legislature
to allow twenty-four of our elementary schools to offer extended day
kindergarten. We are pleased with the results obtained by these schools and plan
to offer this option at additional locations as the legislature increases
funding for optional extended day kindergarten.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Spanish translation
We have a translation coordinator who assists with the identification of
interpreters and facilitates the translation of school and district publications
into many of the languages used by our students and their families.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Impact on programs
New districts (in the event of a division, both districts are “new” districts)
do not receive an infusion of new resources. The revenue, largely based on
student enrollment, is the same as prior to a division but would need to go
further because of necessary duplications. For example, the law requires that
each district have a superintendent and a business administrator. As a practical
matter, districts also need central staffs to coordinate transportation, school
lunch, facility maintenance, technology, special education, career and technical
education, curriculum and instruction, human resources, payroll, accounting, and
so on. The functions would all need to be provided although, depending on the
size of new districts, some of the functions could possibly be provided by the
same individual.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Voting
The legislature has established a process for dividing school districts. If the
process is initiated by a municipality, only those residents of the municipality
can vote on the question of whether to divide the district. If the process is
initiated by a school board or through a citizen’s initiative then residents of
the entire district would be eligible to vote on the question.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Reducing class size
Each year the legislature establishes a dollar amount for the Weighted Pupil
Unit, that is, a dollar amount per student. The WPUs represent the money that
pays for operations and maintenance (everything from utility costs at the
schools to fuel for school buses). Funds for teachers also come from the WPU. In
many years, the WPU increase has not covered the increases in costs of doing
business – the same inflation costs that impact families also impact school
districts – and student opportunities have been reduced and class sizes have
sometimes needed to be increased.
Last year’s legislative increase to the WPU gave Granite’s board the opportunity
to reduce class sizes. We are dependent upon the legislature for future
increases.
As the legislature adopts the education budget, the district is able to
establish a school staffing ratio. Each school then receives its staffing
allocation based on the number of students in the school. The decision how to
balance actual class sizes in a specific school, given the staffing allocation,
is made at the school level.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Alcohol and drug testing
The district has received a $1.2 million alcohol prevention grant. The vast
majority of the funds will be spent on enhancing the high school health
curriculum and instruction. As a small part of the grant, an alcohol and drug
testing program will be piloted with student athletes. It is important to know
that saliva, not urine, will be tested. The consequences for a positive test
will a parent meeting, including an opportunity to explain if a medication could
have caused a false positive, and those already prescribed by the Utah High
School Activities Association for alcohol or drug use.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Charter schools
Several private groups have petitioned the State Board of Education for charters
to become “charter schools” with physical locations within Granite School
District. By law, the district’s only involvement with the creation of charter
schools is to provide input whether or not the proposed charter is educationally
and instructionally sound. The district is unable to deny or prevent the
chartering of a school. Charter school enrollment is typically drawn from the
general area in which the school is located.
We feel we compete well with charter school in every category, including such
measures as student opportunities, teacher experience and qualifications, meet
or exceed those in a charter school. We would invite those with specific
questions or comparisons to meet with local school leaders. In any event, we
welcome suggestions for improvement regardless of the source!
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
English Language Learners
The district has worked closely with the Office for Civil Rights to develop a
system to identify and serve English Language Learners. The Department of
Educational Equity staff (646-4205) would be happy to answer questions regarding
the process and programs.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Kindergarten enrollment
The law states
that “a board may enroll children in school who are at least five years of age
before September 2 of the year in which admission is sought” (Utah
Code 53A-3-402(6)).
The state office of education has consistently
interpreted this, and directed accordingly, to mean that if a child was not five
on September 2, the child cannot be enrolled in a public school until the next
school year.
This having been said, it is not uncommon that children who
were born shortly after the deadline the previous year, after having been
assessed by their school, are registered in first grade.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Pre-school classes
Our district pre-school have a curriculum which has been very valuable for
participating children. Funding for pre-school is quite limited but we are
expanding the program as we are able.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Tardy policies
Decisions regarding a school’s tardy policy are made at the school level and are
in the purview of the School Community Council. Parents who are uncertain about
school policies or procedures are encouraged to meet with community council
representatives and with the school administration to discuss those concerns.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Truancy policy
The
law requires parents to
send their school age children to school and requires schools to refer truant
children to court.
Recognizing that there are many legitimate reasons
for children to be absent from school, procedures have been established to
support communication between schools and parents when student absences become
excessive.
Individual schools are responsible for the implementation
of the procedures.
Parents who are concerned about the implementation
of the procedures are encouraged to meet first with the school administration
and then with district personnel for resolution.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Board Member Job Description
The following is taken from the Granite
District website:
The Granite School District Board of Education is comprised
of seven elected members. Board members serve for a term of four years and
may be re-elected. Each member is elected by voters living in a distinct
geographic precinct. Precinct boundaries are established by Salt Lake
County, and each precinct has approximately equal numbers of residents.
In general, the board has -
-
policy-making authority,
-
authority regarding administrative and school
organization,
-
authority regarding employment such as establishing job
functions and standards, work assignments, hiring, promotion, demotion,
transfers, suspensions, discipline, evaluation, discharge, remuneration,
scheduling, calendaring, etc.;
-
authority regarding student instruction, curricular and
non-curricular programming or activities, evaluation, placement, and
discipline;
-
authority regarding parental and community relations
Authority regarding management, operations, allocations, procurements,
disposal, and priorities of Granite School District physical, monetary,
personnel, or other resources;
-
authority regarding all rights or powers available to
employers or property owners,
-
authority regarding all other rights, powers, or
privileges not specifically withheld from the Board of Education by
applicable law.
The board of education holds public meetings once or twice
monthly to establish district policies, approve purchases and budgets, receive
reports from district administrators, approve administrative appointments, and
conduct other business. Citizens are welcome to speak in a board of education
meeting by contacting Public Relations to register for comment time.
Our Mission:
to prepare every student with the knowledge and skills needed for lifelong
success in a changing world.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Addressing needs of geographic
areas
The Board of Education has always
cared about the needs of the entire school district and must make decisions
based on what is ultimately best for the most students. Sometimes, when a
decision isn't made as quickly as desired or the way we hope, there is a
perception that those with decision-making power don't care. This is the
case regardless of where you may reside in the district. In reality, there
are many reasons that decisions may be delayed or not made in the way a patron
had hoped. It is important to remember that the media generally do not publicize
every relevant piece of information or all perspectives that were considered
during the decision-making process. However, members of the Board of
Education are always willing to answer questions and discuss board decisions
with patrons. Our contact information is available at the district
website, and we welcome the opportunity to talk with those who have concerns
and desire to discuss how decisions were finalized.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Improved board responsiveness
The Granite School District Board of Education is committed to continually
improving service to its various communities. We have initiated these "What
Counts" meetings so we can identify those issues that are most important to the
parents, students and other community members of Granite School District. As
elected representatives, we must know the educational priorities of our
communities in order to serve them well. These meetings are simply a first step
in an ongoing process to gather this information.. The input from all the "What
Counts" meetings will be compiled and studied as we determine the next steps we
need to take to strategically plan for Granite District’s future.
As a board, however, we will continue to improve communication with our
constituents and provide additional opportunities for all within the district to
be heard. Based on comprehensive input, we as a board will then strive to
implement programs, allocate resources and create policies that will reflect the
educational priorities of our communities and meet the diverse needs of our many
students.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Vouchers a wake-up call
It has been said in the media that the recent voter response to vouchers for
private schools legislation should serve as a “wake up call” to those
legislators who passed it. The Granite School District Board of Education
agrees; it is imperative that Utah’s lawmakers reflect the will of their
constituents as they create and pass legislation. For us as board members,
though, voters also had a message: we believe in public education, we are
committed to better public education for Utah’s children, and we are willing to
help provide it. As a board of education, we must better capitalize on our
invested communities, encourage more voices at the table as we make decisions,
increase opportunities for willing volunteers to contribute in our schools and
strengthen partnerships with public and private entities who want to support our
students. The Granite District Board of Education is awake.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Rebuilding schools, building new
ones
The Granite School District Board of Education has received criticism for
deciding to rebuild a junior high school that burned down in one geographical
area of the district. It has also received criticism for building more schools
in one geographical area than it has built in others. And the Board will
continue to receive criticism from someone any time it makes a decision that
appears to focus on just one community or area in a sizeable school district.
But that is one of the benefits of being in Granite District. Board members are
elected as representatives from geographical precincts that are all unique in a
variety of ways. Those multiple backgrounds and community perspectives bring
richness and collective wisdom to the board of education that can serve it well
because, though board members are elected by their various communities, their
oath of office requires them to represent all the students and patrons of the
entire district. That common responsibility encourages board members to be
flexible, to look to the future, to “give everyone a turn” and to expect that
patrons within the district will do the same - recognize the need to support and
compromise with one another for the collective good of all the district’s
children.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
Are you making money
stretch as far as you can?
We think we are, but it obviously doesn’t go as far as we would like. The board
spends several months every year working on their priorities and building the
budget to reflect those needs. Utah still spends the least amount of money per
student of any state in the nation, so we are certainly limited. Schools are a
very labor intensive business, and in our general fund, 90% of the expenditures
are for salaries and benefits; so there is not much money left for discretionary
spending. The board is always open for suggestions.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
If the district splits how can the west side parents get a vote? Will taxes go
up $800 a year?
The requirement that only patrons in the “new” district get to vote was put in
state statute by last year’s legislature. The best way to clarify the issue
would be to change the law to allow everyone that may be affected the right to
vote. This issue has been the subject of much discussion and may still be
decided in a court of law.
We don’t have good information about how large the tax increase might be. But
with a lower assessed valuation per student and increasing demand for new
schools to house the growth on the west side, it is very likely that there would
be a significant tax increase.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top
I
would like to know where our extra property tax dollars are going
The district’s tax rate has actually gone down for the last 3 years. While many
people have paid higher taxes as their assessed values have increased, others
have gone down. The only new tax dollars the district typically gets are the new
growth, from construction projects. Any new tax dollars would likely be applied
to teacher’s salaries, class size reduction and building projects.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
Top