The Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) recently canceled my children’s bus stop — a neighborhood fixture that had been in operation for decades. My attempts to understand this decision were initially disregarded, and it took a public records request and personal attendance at board meetings to motivate any meaningful communication. I was eventually told that the stop was canceled due to logistical issues that in my opinion boil down to a lack of funding.
There is more to be said about a school district that sees no need to proactively communicate with parents when decisions like this are made. What I want to highlight here, however, is the apparent contradiction between any reduction of student services and spending on, for example, the District’s recently completed $58 million administrative headquarters. Salaries of administrators in the executive cabinet have also gone up disproportionately over the last several years. And of course the District just secured a $730 million bond to fund rebuilds of two high schools.
As part of a new and presumably costly rebranding campaign, SLCSD has emphasized its intention to collaborate with all stakeholders to achieve excellent student outcomes. Given my recent experience, I do not believe the District is anxious to work together with parents to improve or even maintain student services. And I am concerned that the consequences of these building indulgences are only beginning to emerge. I am therefore monitoring and publicizing SLCSD’s spending decisions at busstopsoverbuildings.org. If you share my concerns, please take a look.
Matthew Thue
Salt Lake City