Skyline Network forges ahead with grade reconfiguration

By Rubina Halwani | [email protected]

Holladay

Parents in the Skyline network of schools introduced a grade reconfiguration to address the decreased enrollment of students at Skyline High School. The change involves secondary schools switching to a traditional 7-8 and 9-12 model. There are eight schools within the network. The change will go into effect in 2017. 

The proposal for the change was first initiated in 2015 and discussed amongst the school community councils. In February 2016, the discussion moved forward to the board of education for the Granite School District. A subsequent survey was sent home to parents in April 2016. The results showed that 65 percent of parents approved the move, while 32 percent were against. 

Martin Bates, superintendent of Granite School District, opened the discussion at the September 2016 BOE meeting. He initially addressed an incident that happened during the vote at an Upland Terrace Elementary Community Council meeting in July 2016. 

“I’ve been approached by quite a number of people expressing concern about the process that this went through,” Bates said. He was not present at the July Upland meeting, but spoke to the chair and many others who were there. 

“Some of the guests at the community council meeting were rude, disruptive and inappropriate in that meeting,” Bates said. 

Specifically, Bates said inappropriate pressure had been placed on the council to support the recommendation. The board expressed disappointment about the behaviors from the meeting.

Jennifer Reed, Upland Terrace principal, addressed the board about the Upland incident. She said there were norms and standards in place to prevent such an occurrence in the future. 

Doug Bingham, principal of Skyline High School, said, “We are still in support of that as principals and also our community councils are in support.”

Karianne Prince, parent and SCC member for Skyline and Morningside, represented those in favor of the change at the September 2016 BOE meeting. 

“All of the schools in our network are in agreement,” Prince said. “Our community councils are unanimous in request for the change.”

In contrast, Rick Miller, Upland Terrace School Community Council vice chair, voiced concern about the pace of the timeline. 

“I do not, as a vice chair of the community council, want any child in my network to be left behind, to have a program missed, to have an opportunity lost for anybody in our network because we decided to go fast,” Miller said. “Fast means problems.”

Miller supported the reconfiguration, but said the timeline was “aggressive.”

For more information about the Skyline network reconfiguration, please visit schools.graniteschools.org/.