State Board of Education Allows for Calendar Flexibility

The Utah State Board of Education voted Friday to allow school districts more discretion on how budget cuts are made. They will allow school districts to cut regular school days from the required 180 only after cutting at least 3 Quality Teaching Days first. Vik Arnold, Government Relations Director for UEA, asked the board to make any cuts equitable to all employees. Cutting just Quality Teaching Days will hurt teachers more than other employees. Weber District's Supt. Jacobsen has told WEA that they will try and maintain 6 of the current days while working to preserve steps and lanes. Negotiations have just begun and our challenge is to maintain salary and find ways to pay for the insurance increases. OEA's negotiation team meets with the district Tuesday. Stay Tuned. Thanks for reading the blog. It is good to be back home. Rick