"We recognized that while there was a team assigned to divide district assets, there was nobody really looking at educational-related issues," said Kelvyn Cullimore, Cottonwood Heights mayor and chairman of the Interlocal Committee overseeing formation of the new district. ''How do we prepare educationally for the creation of the new district?''
The committee hired John Bennion, former superintendent of the Salt Lake City and Provo school districts, to lead the three-person Education Transition Team, which also includes Rickie McCandless, former associate superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District, and Sandra Petersen, former assistant superintendent of the Davis School District.
The three have spent the past two months meeting with residents and asking and answering questions.
''The six-month endeavor will involve gathering information to make recommendations to the board so when they take office, they can hit the ground running,'' Bennion said. ''They'll have the benefit of some grass-roots thinking from parents and teachers in the community.''
The team poses four questions at each meeting to get people talking: How can the district be more responsive? How can it encourage participation? How can it encourage communication? How can it best use resources?
Major concerns from teachers and school employees have been job security, salaries, fringe benefits and retirement benefits. Many have sought reassurance there will be continuity in their positions and benefits, Bennion said.
Many parents have expressed the desire to interact with the new board more easily than they could with the former one.
"The belief for some is that Jordan was getting so big and the west side was growing so fast that for some it has been hard to get access to the board," Bennion said. ''They are hoping that with the smaller district and not having the pressure of growth on the east side, there will be more opportunities for parents to engage with the board and be active in the district.''
Other concerns have included the possible loss of district programs and improving accountability to state and federal standards.
''[The process] has worked very well because they are well-respected educators, knowledgeable and they come to the district with no bias,'' Cullimore said of the team. ''They are looking at it as a clean slate. They are not prejudiced as to what has been done before, good or bad.''
The uniqueness of a district split attracted the veteran educators to participate.
McCandless, who worked in the Salt Lake district for 31 years in everything from teaching to district administration, said it's important to get as much input as possible.
"We're really hoping to remain neutral and facilitate the best process we can," McCandless said. "This is about people who chose to go to the polls and split the district."
Bennion, who served as superintendent in four districts for 25 consecutive years, said having outside perspectives helps reduce preconceptions.
Whether a split was a good idea ''remains to be seen. But my feeling is that it could be made to be a good decision if the planning is done right and every opportunity is taken to make the most of creating the new school district,'' he said.
The meetings will continue for the next several months, along with the work of volunteer committees, until the education transition team dissolves in August.
Cities in the Interlocal Committee are covering the team's compensation. Under the split statute, the new board can be reimbursed up to $500,000 for initial expenses.
rorellana@sltrib.com
* TO SOLICIT discussion on how the new district should be organized.
* TO COLLECT information on the new district through meetings with community councils and core and ad hoc committees.
* TO ORGANIZE that information into major themes and present recommendations and options for the new board to consider.
* THE EDUCATION TEAM also is helping with the search for a district superintendent.
*For more information on the Education Transition Team, go to www.jordantransition.org.
