Skip to content

Category: Communications

Published on

Due to recent legislation in HB 273, we are adjusting our student computer refresh this year as follows:

  • Elementary Schools
    • Elementary schools will not receive new student computers this summer, and no existing student computers will be removed at this time.
    • Following guidance from USBE, teams from IT, Teaching and Learning, and School Leadership and Support will begin gathering stakeholder feedback to help determine appropriate screen time levels for different grade levels.
    • Until this review process is complete, requests for new student devices (including laptops, iPads, and similar technology) will be on hold.
    • We will continue to support students by replacing broken devices and ensuring that those with IEP or 504 requirements have the necessary technology accommodations in place.
  • Middle Schools
    • Middle schools will receive replacements for student devices that are 5 years old.  Allocations will be adjusted to match the most recent October 1 enrollment counts.  Parents will need to opt-in during registration to use a district provided 1:1 device.  IT, Teaching and Learning, and School Leadership and Support will work with middle schools to establish a common technology framework for all middle schools.

  • High Schools
    • High schools will receive replacements for student devices that are 5 years old.  Allocations will be adjusted to match the most recent October 1 enrollment counts.  Parents have the opportunity during registration to opt-out of using a district provided 1:1 device.

Published on

Please remember to be actively promoting PowerSchool ParentPortal with your families.  Communications and IT will be beginning a notification campaign next week. 

  • We’ve created a couple of videos that will help you setup and troubleshoot parent portal accounts.
  1.  Identifying Students Without a ParentPortal account
  2.  Troubleshooting ParentPortal

When notifying parents about ParentPortal, you may share the following website containing instructions and videos to help them access their account.

Salt Lake City School District - PowerSchool Parent Portal

Published on


To: All School Administrators
From: School Leadership & Support
Date: May 8, 2026
Subject: Planning Expectations and Key Dates for the 2026–2027 School Year

As we begin preparations for the 2026–2027 school year, School Leadership & Performance would like to provide the following information and planning expectations to support a strong and organized start to the year.

1. School Day Report and Calendar Preparation

Administrators are asked to complete the first draft of the following items in the Apex application by Friday, May 22, 2026:

  • School Day Report
  • Calendar Setup
  • Bell Schedule (High Schools)
  • Daily Calendar

We appreciate the work many of you have already begun in preparation for next year and encourage you to continue refining these items to ensure timely completion.

The School Day Report should include the following components:

  • Faculty meeting schedule
  • Planning time
  • Weekly PLC/Collaboration time
  • Parent/student meeting opportunities
  • Professional development time

Once drafts are completed, please collaborate with your Area Director to review, refine, and finalize the reports as needed.

Reference Document:
School Day Report 2026-27 185 Day Calendar

2. District Leadership Collaboration (DLC) and Professional Learning Schedule

To provide consistency and intentional professional learning opportunities throughout the year, the following meeting structure is being planned for the 2026–2027 school year:

  • 1st Thursday: Principal DLC Meetings
  • 2nd Thursday: Assistant Principal Meetings
  • 3rd Thursday: Principal PLC Meetings
  • 4th Thursday: Teaching & Learning Sessions

Please note the following exceptions:

  • December & May: GAM will replace the 1st Thursday meeting
  • Additional meetings for all administrators will occur on an as-needed basis

Please reserve these days on your calendars and plan to engage in ongoing professional learning and collaboration. Our goal is to ensure that learning and leadership development remain embedded within daily practice and directly connected to school improvement efforts.

3. Administrator Institute

Please reserve Monday, July 27, 2026, through Thursday, July 30, 2026 for the annual Administrator Institute.

This year’s institute will be structured in a conference-style format designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities, collaboration, and leadership development aligned to your professional growth and the district’s strategic priorities.

Additional details, including session information and schedules, will be shared in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your continued leadership, preparation, and commitment to supporting students, staff, and school communities across the district.

Published on

Administrative Memo

Stakeholder Feedback Surveys

SLCSD stakeholders will begin receiving notices about their access to the stakeholder survey. All surveys must be completed by April 24. Please encourage everyone to participate.

In case any questions arise, here is the information you should know:

  • This survey is OPTIONAL; no one should feel compelled to take it. However, it is incredibly useful feedback, and we strongly encourage all our stakeholders to participate.
  • This survey is ANONYMOUS, and participants should be encouraged to complete it at a time and location where they feel comfortable giving honest feedback.
  • Teacher Survey: Survey links will be sent out to teachers via district email. If they do not see the link, they should check junk/spam folders or reach out to patrick.jefferies@slcschools.org. Please set time aside for teachers to complete.
  • Parent Survey: Survey links will be sent out to parents via ParentSquare. If they do not see the link, they should check junk/spam folders or reach out to patrick.jefferies@slcschools.org.
  • Student Survey: Students can access the survey through the Student Survey Module in Clever. To increase response rates, we encourage you to work with your teachers to set aside time for students to complete their surveys during school hours.

Parents/Students

  • A student must have been enrolled for at least 40 days to receive a survey.
  • Students and parents will be asked to provide feedback on each individual course/teacher they have, as well as the administrators in their building.
    • They may skip any sections they wish
    • Parents with multiple children in the district may receive separate survey emails for each child.
  • Class information is pulled from PowerSchool, so if a student is in an afterschool program or a class that they know by a different name than what is in PowerSchool, please help them determine which class that is (i.e. After School might be Chess Club).

Any questions can be directed to the Assessment Supervisor, Dr. Patrick Jefferies (patrick.jefferies@slcschools.org).

Published on

 this year's Utah School Public Relations Association conference — aka the 2026 USPRA Annual Conference — USPRA Live: Turning Up the Volume on School PR — will be held this year at Hawthorne Elementary. I launched this conference last year, with Emma as one of the Co-Charis. This year, Emma is co-chairing again (that's why she's cc'd), and the conference has expanded to TWO days:

Conference Details

Thursday, April 23 • 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Friday, April 24 • 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Hawthorne Elementary — 1675 S 600 E, Salt Lake City

Another thing that's new this year is a specific track for School Administrators (Administrator Amplifier — NEW Principal/Admin Track). The sessions for the Administrator track will be held on Thursday and focus on practical communication tools, leadership alignment, and strengthening collaboration with school PR professionals.

Best of all, it's FREE for principals to attend! 

I realize you have DLC on Thursdays, but would it be possible to invite our school administrators to attend afterwards? ​​

Why Attend

This conference is designed to help school leaders and communication teams:

  • Elevate communication strategies
  • Strengthen consistent districtwide messaging
  • Build trust and engagement with families, staff, and communities
  • Learn from school PR professionals and leaders across the state

How to Register for FREE
Conference Registration: https://www.utahspra.org/conference

Administrators can register for free using the code UTAPRINCIPAL.

We would love to have as many of our SLCSD administrators join us as we continue to “turn up the volume” on school PR. Please reach out if you have any questions. 

Published on

Dear Principals,

In our ongoing effort to ensure all students receive the support they need to thrive, we are pleased to introduce a clear and supportive procedure for requesting additional resources that will govern all future requests for additional resources. This process is grounded in the principles of equity, student-centered decision-making, and shared accountability. Your voice and leadership are essential in helping us meet the diverse and evolving needs of our school communities.

Purpose of the Process

To establish a transparent, data-informed, and equity-driven system through which school leaders may formally request additional resources based on identified student needs and strategic priorities.

Guiding Principles

  • Alignment with district priorities:  SLCSD Priorities 2025-26  - Our top priorities highlighted from our strategic plan for student success.
  • Equity over equality: Resources are allocated based on student need rather than equal distribution (Gorski, 2013).
  • Student-centered decision-making: Requests should reflect actual enrollment, demographic shifts, and the academic or behavioral needs of students (Leithwood, 2010).
  • Support for diverse learners: Prioritization is given to schools serving high numbers of multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and those in under-resourced communities.
  • Transparency and accountability: A collaborative process with stakeholder involvement and clear communication throughout.

Petition Submission Process

Step 1: Review school data that serves as the basis for request

  • Review current school-level data with your area director:
    • Academic performance
    • Behavior trends
    • Enrollment patterns
    • Staffing ratios
    • Facility needs
School Data PointWho to contact if you have questions about accuracy or need additional clarity
Academic PerformanceDr. Patrick Jefferies, Supervisor, Data & Assessment or Dr. Christine Marriott, Director of Title I and School Improvement
Behavior TrendsDr. Allison Martin, Director of SEL & Preventive Services
Enrollment PatternsSam Quartz, Chief Information Officer
Staffing RatiosLogan Hall, Executive Director, Human Resources or his designee
Facility NeedsIsaac Astill, Executive Director, Auxiliary Services

Step 2: Draft a resource petition

  • Complete the District Resource Petition, which includes:
    • Description of the requested resource(s)
    • Supporting data (quantitative and/or qualitative)
    • Expected impact on student outcomes
    • Explanation of alignment with school and district strategic goals

Step 3: Area Director review

  • Schedule a consultation to review your petition with your Area Director.
  • Revisions or recommendations may be made to strengthen alignment or clarify outcomes.
  • Once approved by the Area Director, it will proceed to the District Review Process,

District Review Process

Step 4: Cabinet-Level review

After the deadline, a cross-functional Cabinet committee will evaluate requests using the Weighted Resource Allocation Formula (see below) and determine feasibility and alignment with district-wide initiatives.

Step 5: Communication of decision

  • A formal written response will be provided in accordance with the annual timeline.
  • If approved, a deployment timeline and point-of-contact will be shared.
  • If declined, the rationale will be explained and next steps will be offered for support and/or resubmission.

Weighted Resource Allocation formula

To ensure fairness and transparency, each petition will be evaluated using the following scoring system (Total Possible: 100 points):

FactorWeightDescription
Student Enrollment and Demographics25 pointsProportion of high-need students (e.g., FRL, ELL, SPED)
Academic & Behavioral Data20 pointsEvidence of gaps in achievement, chronic absenteeism, or behavior challenges
Access Impact20 pointsDegree to which resource addresses disparities or underserved student groups
Alignment with Strategic Goals15 pointsHow well the request aligns with district/school improvement priorities
Stakeholder Engagement10 pointsInvolvement of parents, staff, and community in needs assessment and planning
Feasibility & Sustainability10 pointsPracticality of implementation and potential for sustained impact

Minimum threshold for consideration: 65 points

Implementation & Monitoring

Step 6:  Review & Feedback

Relevant staff will review resource allocation with building staff.

Step 6: Resource deployment

Work collaboratively with the assigned district departments (e.g., HR, Finance, Facilities, SPED) to implement the resource as planned.

Step 7: Evaluation & reporting

  • Monitor effectiveness using outcome data and feedback tools.
  • Submit a mid-year and end-of-year report summarizing impact.
  • Adjustments may be made as necessary for sustainability.

Ongoing support and improvement

  • School Leadership & Support will maintain a log of all approved petitions for transparency.
  • Annual reviews of the process will be conducted by Cabinet to assess equity and efficiency.
  • Principal feedback will directly inform system refinements.

Supporting Tools

Final Note

We thank you for your dedication to equity, excellence, and innovation. This process is not simply about resource distribution—it is about recognizing the unique stories of your schools and responding with meaningful support. Together, we will ensure every student in Salt Lake City School District receives the opportunities they deserve to learn, grow, and succeed.

For questions or additional support with your resource petition, please contact your Area Director or the Office of School Leadership & Support.

Published on

This information was originally sent on 12/6/2022 in the Letters for Leadership v.18.  Please note the following:

 Winter Weather Guidelines

We want to ensure that you are aware of the expectations for the chilly time of the school year.   Please reach out to you community and communicate to parents that students should be dressed and prepared for the cold weather with the following items: warm coats, sweaters/ hoodies, boots, hats, scarves, mittens/gloves, etc. Please ensure that these items are marked in case they are misplaced or lost. Students should come prepared to go outside, get some fresh air, and exercise outdoors daily.  The exceptions to going out daily are listed below:

Morning:

  • Inside morning in the gym, IF there is significant rainfall or snowfall. (IF students will be getting wet outside.)
  • Inside morning in the gym, IF the temperature is below 20 degrees.
  • Students sitting on their pockets, not running around, playing sports, etc.
  • Inside mornings are from (List the time for your school)________ to ensure our outside-duty teachers are in the gym to help supervise.

Recess:

  • Teacher/Grade Level Discretion
  • Inside recess IF the temperature is below 20 degrees. Recess time is held inside the classroom.

Lunch Recess:

  • Admin/Office Discretion
  • Inside lunch recess, IF there is significant rainfall or snowfall (If students will be getting wet outside), recess time is held inside the classroom.
  • Inside lunch recess, IF the temperature is below 20 degrees, recess time is held inside the classroom.

Please reach out if you have any questions or need further information.  Thank you for all that you do for the children of our district.

Published on

From: Analis Carattini-Ruiz

Dear Principals:

Help Us Improve School Registration

We're working to improve our school registration systems and would love input from different members of our school community.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sending out surveys and hosting focus groups with families, school office staff, and district support teams (like McKinney-Vento, Special Education, Counseling, etc.) to learn more about their experiences with registration.

We’d appreciate your help identifying school staff and parents who might be willing to participate and share their feedback.

Here are the upcoming focus group dates:

  • Parents:
    • Liberty CLC: October 27 at 4:30 PM
    • Glendale CLC: October 28 at 4:30 PM
  • District Support Staff:
    • In-person meeting with Sam: October 22 at 1:00 PM
  • School Staff:
    • Virtual Zoom meeting: October 22 at 3:30 PM

To reiterate: we need the names of potential participants— we’ll take care of sending the invitations.

Please send the names of recommended school staff and families to Sam Quantz, Dr. Bri Conley, Yándary Chatwin, and Dr. Analis Ruiz by October 15, 2025.

Thank you so much — we truly appreciate your support!

Analis Carattini-Ruiz, Ph.D. 

Associate Superintendent

801-578-8347

analis.carattini-ruiz@slcschools.org

Excellence and Equity: every student, every classroom, every day

Learn more about our work:

The Salt Lake City School District: Prioritizing Literacy, Pathways, and Attendance

Advancing a culture of dignity—the Salt Lake City School District way

Published on

SmartBoard Replacement Information

After a thorough year-long review, including feedback from school administration, teachers, technical evaluation, and cost/benefit analysis, it has been determined that we will move forward with the following interactive devices in the classroom. 

ViewSonic Interactive Boards at the Elementary Level

Deciding Factors

  • Feedback received through visits and teacher survey.
  • We save almost $200-300 per board.
  • We will have a 7-year warranty instead of a 5-year warranty.
  • ViewSonic software will run the Smart Notebook software that many elementary teachers use.
  • ViewSonic boards performed better than the SMART brand.
  • Will support untethered teaching as well

Installation plan

·IT will work with school administration to determine which classrooms are updated first with as little classroom disruption as possible.

·Installation will take a coordination with district electricians and installers. 

·We are currently working on creating that plan with Auxiliary services and will send out that plan once it is finished. 

·Goal is to replace about 150 boards this year

·The rest of the boards are being replaced over the next 3-5 years.

·The goal is to begin installation in October/November.

Budget Needed

·Schools will not need to budget for this as it will be paid out of the district capital technology outlay funds.

Training

·School technicians are being trained within the next few weeks so there is onsite support.

·IT will work with school administration to develop training opportunities as boards are installed in the school

·IT will work with Teaching & Learning and School Leadership and Support to develop a comprehensive training plan going forward.

Epson Interactive Projectors (still in testing phase) at Secondary Level, with optional ViewSonic Interactive Board option

Deciding Factors

  • Feedback received through visits and teacher survey.
  • having more whiteboard space was one of the most frequent requests.
  • The vast majority of secondary classrooms do not use SMART notebook software or use the touch capability
  • The picture will be displayed on the whiteboard, allowing the whiteboard to serve dual functionality.
  • Allows for untethered teaching.
  • If the Epson Projector does not work in the classroom, ViewSonic Interactive boards will be installed 

Installation plan

·These devices have already been installed in some classrooms in the district

·IT has reached out to high school principals to receive the names of a few teachers willing receive these new projectors for additional testing.

·After final testing is completed, installation will take place over the next 3-5 years.

Budget Needed

·Schools will not need to budget for this as it will be paid out of the district capital technology outlay funds.

Training

·School technicians will be trained on the boards for onsite support.

·IT will work with school administration to develop training opportunities as boards are installed in the school

·IT will work with Teaching & Learning and School Leadership and Support to develop a comprehensive training plan going forward.

Published on

As we approach the 10-Day Drop window, please review the following guidance carefully. Our goal is to ensure consistency across schools while supporting students and families through clear communication and outreach.

Board Policy S-4 states:

“School administration and/or their designees will attempt at least one home visit before implementing a 10-day withdrawal. The home visit will be logged in PowerSchool.”

Recognizing the unique challenges at the start of the school year, outreach efforts such as phone calls, emails, and text messages may be documented as interventions in lieu of an immediate home visit. When feasible, a home visit should still be made, but it is not required prior to initiating the 10-Day Drop.

Please follow the updated procedures below:

1. General Education Students

  • Who: Students who registered for this school year but have not attended at all.
  • Action: Drop the student the day after 10 unexcused absences.
  • Drop Deadline: September 2
  • Exit Date to Enter: September 3
  • Requirements:
    • At least one documented intervention is required prior to dropping the student.
    • Acceptable interventions include: phone calls, text messages, emails, or home visits.
    • Document the outreach in PowerSchool.

2. Special Education Students

  • Who: Students with an IEP who have 30 consecutive unexcused absences.
  • Action: May be dropped after 30 consecutive unexcused absences.
  • Exit Date to Enter: Day after the 30th absence.
  • Requirements:
    • Special education teachers must document all attempts to connect with the family.
    • Email documentation to Erin.
    • Fill out the 10-day Ready and Willing Letter FORM document at 10 days of consecutive absences.
    • Complete the SCRAM link on the DDC.
    • Exit the student using code M.

3. Students Who Rolled Over from Last Year (Not Registered This Year)

  • Who: Students who appear on your roster but did not complete registration for the current school year.
  • Action: Drop at date of entry.
  • Exit Date to Enter: First day of school or the listed entry date.
  • Note: No intervention is required. However, please carefully verify that the student truly did not register or attend before proceeding.

Key Reminders

  • Equity and care are central. Our outreach efforts should reflect compassion and the intent to reconnect families to school.
  • Document everything. Whether by phone, text, email, or home visit, please ensure all interventions are logged in PowerSchool.
  • Seek support if unsure. When in doubt, reach out to your supervising director for clarification.

Together, these practices ensure we meet compliance requirements while also extending every opportunity for students to engage with school. Thank you for your continued commitment to students and families as we begin this school year.

Protected By
Shield Security