Davis School District, Utah
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In 2006, the DSD received recognition for having the nation’s top graduation rate among the 100 largest school districts in the United States, according to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. That year, the superintendent, Dr. W. Bryan Bowles, was awarded superintendent of the year in Utah.[1]
Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Utah school district websites
Information last reviewed: 3/19/13
The good
- Taxes
- Tax revenues are broken down by federal, state, and local funding in the budget.
- The school notes which local taxes provide funding for the school.[2]
- Budget
- The most current budget is listed.
- Budgets are archived for 5 years.[3]
- Audits
- The most recent audit is posted.
- Audits dating back to 5 are available.[4]
- Elected Officials
- Elected officials are listed with a mailing address, phone number and personalized email.[5]
- Board policies are published.[6]
- Contracts
- Bids and RFPs are posted online.
- Approved contract statements are provided for vendors.[7]
- Public records
- The public information officer is identified and maintained by Records Officers. This position provides a mailing address, phone number and personalized email.
- A public records form is provided by the Records Officers.
- A fee schedule for documents is provided.
- Academic
- Academic performance reports for the school are posted online.[8]
- Background checks
- The criminal background check policy and teacher certification requirements are posted online.[9]
- Administrative officials
- Department heads are listed for each department.[10]
- Contact information for administrative officials is provided including a mailing address, phone number, and personalized email.
The bad
Leadership
School board
The Board has complete and final control over local school matters within the framework set by Utah State Legislature and Utah State Board of Education. The Board acts as a legislative body, determining general policies for the programs, care, management, and finance, of the district's public schools. The superintendent and his administrative staff are responsible for the execution of these policies.[11]
General Responsibilities:[11]
- Define the general purpose of the district.
- Set goals toward the achievement of district purposes.
- Approve programs and organization for pursuing the district goals and purposes.
- Secure resources for school operating needs and programs.
- Decide how resources will be used.
- Review all phases of the school district operation.
- Evaluate general achievements of goals and performance.
- Express and represent the views of the community in matters effecting education.
- Interpret educational programs and needs of the community.
- Communicate with the community, other educational governing boards, municipal bodies, and legislators.
The Board is comprised of seven Davis County citizens, each elected for a four-year term. A student member (non-voting) may be appointed according to state guidelines. Anyone who is 18 years old is eligible to vote in school board elections. Any qualified voter who is a resident of the district for at least one year, as of date of election, may stand for election to the Board.[11]
Each member of the Board shall be and remain a registered voter in the local school board district from which the member is elected or appointed; maintain their primary residence within the board district from which the member is elected or appointed during the member's term of office; and not serve as an employee of the Board during the member's term of office.[11]
School Board Members
| Name | Board of Education Role | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Bowles | Superintendent | $256,350 |
| Paul Waite | Assistant Superintendent | $195,888 |
| Craig Poll | Assistant Superintendent | $189,177 |
| Pamela Park | Assistant Superintendent | $187,268 |
| Craig Carter | Business Administrator | $184,147 |
| Marian Storey | President (4) | $3,922 |
| Tamara Lowe | Vice President (7) | $3,994 |
| Barbara Smith | Precinct 1 | $3,992 |
| James Clark | Precinct 2 | $3,924 |
| Peter Cannon | Precinct 3 | $2,014 |
| David Lovato | Precinct 5 | $2,684 |
| L.Burke Larsen | Precinct 6 | $4,027 |
Teacher Contracts
A copy of the 2010-11 teacher contract is available on the Davis Education Association (teacher union) website.[13]
District Superintendency
Current district administrators include:[11]
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Bryan Bowles | Superintendent |
| Paul Waite | Assistant Superintendent |
| Craig Poll | Assistant Superintendent |
| Pamela Park | Assistant Superintendent |
| Craig Carter | Business Administrator |
Budget
The 2010-11 final budget is $585,867,439. The primary revenue source is state revenue ($264,023,949), tax revenue ($133,999,900), and federal revenue ($62,718,400). Budget cuts made included not filling retirement positions, cutting paid 4.0 hours of paid teacher preparation time, cutting supply budgets by 5%, and changing employee participation and health insurance premiums.[14]
Unions
The Davis Education Association (DEA) is the teacher's union for this school district.[15] The DEA is a member of the Utah Education Association (UEA). The UEA lists its legislative issues on their website.[16]
Current Davis Education Association officers:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Susan Firmage | President |
| Don Paver | Vice President |
| Trudy Henderson | UEA Representative |
Academic performance
Each district receives ratings to determine if they have made Adequate Yearly Progress per guidelines established by No Child Left Behind.
The report for 2008-09 posted on Utah State Office of Education the provides the following summary:[17] "Did the district and every group make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in the content area?"
| Grade Span | Language Arts | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 3-8 | No | Yes |
| 10-12 | Yes | Yes |
Corruption
In February 2010, former Davis School District secretary Stella Smith, was ordered by a U.S. District judge to pay $324,579 in restitution and serve 60 months of supervised probation for stealing more than $330,000 in textbook funds between 1999 and 2005, by forming a fake company, E.B. Smith Company, for the sole purpose of defrauding the school district.
Smith served as secretary to Susan Ross, the director of federal programs. Ross was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge to three years of probation in December 2009 for money laundering and was ordered to pay $350,115 in restitution and complete 3,000 hours of community service.
A federal investigation found that Ross and her husband, John Ross, who worked as a federal grant specialist, created a fraudulent book scheme that cost the Davis district more than $4 million. John Ross also received probation for his role in the scam.[18]
External links
- Davis School District website
- Utah State Office of Education academic performance search
- School districts' budgets, Utah State Auditor's Office
References
- ↑ Davis School District facts
- ↑ Budget
- ↑ Budget
- ↑ Audits
- ↑ Elected officials
- ↑ Board policies
- ↑ Contracts and bids
- ↑ Academic performance reports
- ↑ Background check information
- ↑ Departments
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmembers - ↑ Salary Information
- ↑ teacher contracts
- ↑ Budget facts
- ↑ Davis Education Association
- ↑ UEA legislative issues
- ↑ Davis 2008-2009 UPASS Report
- ↑ Davis County SD corruption
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