Since becoming superintendent of Utah's newest school district, David Doty has articulated a singular vision: seeing that all students graduate from high school ready for college and the workplace.
The path to success, he believes, is paved with academic rigor. And though powerless to dictate Utah's graduation requirements, the Canyons School District superintendent can, and very likely will, entice students to take heavier loads with a special "college- and career-ready" diploma. He also wants to re-configure middle schools into "prep" schools to include sixth through eighth grades, and bump ninth-graders into high school.
It's all part of a five-year plan to raise the academic bar with a special focus on improving middle schools, bridging the achievement gap for minorities and making better use of school buildings.
"We've got some academic and enrollment management issues to deal with," said Doty. "We're trying to think of creative ways to address both."
Canyons has pockets of growth with some elementary schools at, or nearing, capacity. But overall enrollment is flat, and falling steadily at three of the district's four high schools.
Moving sixth-graders into middle school frees up space in elementaries without the added cost of portables or new construction, said Doty. Bumping up ninth-graders fills empty high school seats, enabling those schools to retain their coveted 5A division status for sports. And maximizing use of existing school buildings frees up money for long deferred maintenance projects, said Doty, noting eight of his schools are so outdated it would cost less to rebuild them from scratch than to refurbish them.
"Five of those eight schools serve our largest populations of minority students," said Doty. "I have some legal concerns about that and some moral concerns."
There is support on the board for issuing a construction bond, possibly in June 2010. Parents have long clamored for air conditioning and other upgrades, but Doty doubts recession-weary property owners would welcome a huge tax increase. Plus, Canyons patrons are still paying debt accrued under the old Jordan District before it was split (and Canyons was created).
The school board is hoping to keep borrowing to a minimum.
"We may need one or two buildings in the next 15 years. But what we really need is modernizing and boundary changes," said Canyons board Chairman Tracy Cowdell.
Cowdell said the board is immediately focused on boundary changes and the bond. The two-tiered diploma system could be ready in time for next year's ninth graders, or the Class of 2014.
"But I don't think you'll see grade configuration for two to three years. We want more data on whether that's best for students," said Cowdell.
Doty is already convinced.
He points to an ACT study, "The Forgotten Middle," that found eighth-grade achievement was a key predictor of college readiness. And, he said, a recent district poll by Dan Jones found Canyons parents are not happy with their "mediocre" middle schools.
Moving sixth-graders from elementary into middle school will allow teachers to get kids on the college track earlier, which is especially important for non-English speaking minorities, said Doty. And re-configuring high schools to span four grades will make it easier to align the curriculum and encourage students to take four years of advanced math, English and science -- likely requirements of the proposed college-ready diploma.
"I don't think it should matter what the color of your skin is, or what your last name is, or how rich or poor you are," Doty said. "If you're a person of basic intelligence, you ought to have the opportunity to be on a college-bound course, and you ought to understand very early, beginning in the sixth or seventh grades, what that path is."
