District officials are asking for public input on future school calendars. Superintendent Ray Timothy announced that the survey is available in English and Spanish on the district website, through email, and in hard copy at the schools. “We would like to get input from all who are impacted by the calendar,” Superintendent Timothy said.
The survey asks general questions about start and end dates, breaks, and vacation lengths. Survey results will be tallied by a district calendar committee which will use the information to create three options for the School Board to consider. The School Board will discuss those options in its March 2, 2010 meeting and will formally adopt a calendar for the 2010-2011 school year on March 16, 2010. The public is invited to share additional ideas and suggestions on the calendar during the March 2 meeting.
Many factors are considered in creating a school calendar. For example, the State requires school to be held for a minimum of 180 days; teachers are entitled to time off after working extra hours for parent/teacher conferences; and only 3 district schools have air conditioning. In addition to the holidays and breaks mentioned in this survey, the Board of Education may close schools for one or more days for teacher training and development.
Budget and equalization are two of the most important issues facing the Park City School District this session. House Bill 129, Amendments to Education Financing by Representative Newbold is of particular concern. You can find out more about the bill here: House Bill 129 Overview
If you would like to know what you can do to oppose the bill, click here:HB 129 Tips
PCSD’s regularly scheduled payday is the last business day of the month. December’s payroll is the exception: employees are paid on the last school day before Winter Recess. This makes December’s entire paycheck available early for holiday expenses. It also extends the time between the December and January paydays by about 10 calendar days. Some find being paid earlier in December convenient. Others find it challenging to budget for the longer January pay period.
We’ve had tremendous input from parents and other community members on the budget and potential budget cuts. Thank you for your interest and your willingness to contribute to the budget dialog.
As we put together the budget for the coming year, we want to hear your thoughts and ideas. We want to know what you value most when it comes to educating our children. We want to know where you think we should allocate our school resources for the 2009-2010 school year. Then, with your input, we will do what you elected us to do, make the hard choices.
If you don’t feel comfortable responding through this public forum, you can send us your thoughts in an email to budget@pcschools.us . Or, you can contact us individually. Our contact information can be found at http://www.pcschools.us/index.php?page=48 .