Education
ASD eliminates snow day from 2020-2021 calendar
The Alpine School District’s 2020-2021 calendar will not include a snow day make-up day.
The day, which was scheduled to happen on April 5, 2021, the first day of spring break, was eliminated during an Alpine School District Board of Education meeting held on May 12. Instead, students will have an entire week of spring break next academic year, whether or not an emergency calls for schools to be closed.
“If there is a school closure, then we would just have that be an online learning day,” David Stephenson, a spokesman for the district, told the board of education.
The district had its first snow day in decades this academic year, which was going to be made up during the first day of spring break. After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools and shifted classes to online learning, the snow day make-up day never occurred.
The make-up day has traditionally been scheduled for the first day of spring break.
Sara Hacken, a member of the board, said the calendar adjustment will allow schools to be more flexible.
The change would apply to any situation that would lead to an emergency school closure.
The board noted that the district has had practice with school closures this year due to COVID-19. Scott Carlson, the board’s president, said the district is thinking ahead to next year and if there will be potential COVID-19-related closures.
“Even though there’s a plan, we hope it doesn’t have to be implemented,” Carlson told the board. “We’d like to go back to normal, in-person operations.”
During the meeting, the board also approved the sale of .8 acre of land for a future seminary education building for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and postponed a vote on approving about $13 million in state funds.
The board unanimously approved the sale of 35,872 square feet, or about .8 acre, to the LDS church for about $395,000. The purchase includes $35,000 for an access easement.
The land is located at 3950 N. Maple Hollow Blvd, near Belmont Elementary School in Lehi where a new middle school will be built as part of the district’s 2016 bond.
The board approved the purchase without discussion. It will see the purchase agreement at a later date. Rob Smith, an assistant superintendent for the district, told the board that the purchase price matches the land’s appraised value.
A scheduled vote on adopting a budget for funds received from the state legislature to the district as part of the Teacher and Student Success Act was postponed to a later meeting in anticipation that the funds could be adjusted in the legislature’s special sessions.
The plan’s current draft would allocate about $13 million for the 2020-2021 school year, with 70% of the funds going toward student support, 25% going to teacher salaries, and 5% for teacher retention.
About $8 million for student support would help fund ASD’s social and emotional well-being plan and the district’s Vision for Learning plan, according to the draft.
The draft also includes funds earmarked for board-certified behavior analysts, psychologists, elementary school counselors, instructional coaches, and elementary and secondary school dual language immersion programs.
