March 25, 2025 Board Meeting Summary

• Summary of Board Actions During Study Session on March 25, 2025

Celebrating Oquirrh Hills Middle School
Elyse Wahlin, Student Body President, described Oquirrh Hills Middle School as a place where there is great school spirit and is a great place to be. She said the student body is very proud of the school’s annual holiday fundraiser “Oquirrh Fest,” which raised more than $17,000 this year for the Christmas Box House. She said students were also taken on a field trip to the Christmas Box House to better understand how the charity helps children in the community. Elyse talked about all of the fun clubs and groups students can be involved in and how proud they are of the annual “Science Olympiad.” She said another source of pride at the school is their involvement in Unified Sports, pointing out that Oquirrh Hills was given the prestigious distinction of a ‘Unified Champion School’ this year. She said students love the town hall meetings held every semester at the school, giving everyone a chance to talk about what is going well and what can be fixed to make the school experience even better.

Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent of Schools, congratulated Westvale Elementary School Art Specialist Rachel Henderson for being recognized by the Utah State Board of Education as one of nine Utah educators receiving the 2025 Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Art Education. Dr. Godfrey said it was a fun experience interviewing Ms. Henderson for an episode of his podcast, The Supercast. The Superintendent thanked the Jordan Education Foundation for honoring Outstanding Educators in every school, with cash prizes and other gifts. He said he loves visiting all of the classrooms, seeing the teacher and student reactions to the surprise awards.

• Patron Comments
• Joe Gorman, Riverton High School Wrestling Coach, said Jordan School District is falling way behind in facilities to support athletic programs like wrestling. He said it hurts the District and kids and he hopes more can be done in the future to expand the facilities.
• Colton Peshell, a student, said he is on the wrestling team at Riverton High School and the lack of athletic facilities is causing problems with safety, and is limiting the number of practices in the wrestling program.
• Michael Moody, a parent, expressed concerns over the small wrestling rooms at Riverton High School which he said are much smaller than those in other districts. He said this is leading to safety concerns and there is not equal access to athletes who want to practice. Mr. Moody is asking the Board to look for solutions in the coming years.
• Garrett Bracken, a student, said he is on the wrestling team at Riverton High School but is concerned about safety issues due to the small wrestling room at the school. Garrett said he recently sustained an injury that could have ended his career.
• David Bracken, a parent and wrestling coach, said he has seen wrestling grown, but the size of facilities to accommodate the athletes has fallen behind. He would like to see support for the expansion of facilities so student athletes can be competitive.
• Connor Laden, a student, is on the wrestling team and said he doesn’t know where he would be emotionally without the sport as it has been a great support in his life. He asked the Board to look at ways to expand facilities based on the need.
• George Lopez, a student, is a wrestler at Riverton High School and said the practice space is way too cramped making it difficult to improve his skills. George is asking for more space for his team to practice and become more competitive.
• Cy Miyake, an employee and head coach of the Riverton High School girls wrestling team, said space restraints make it difficult for his team to practice and have equity. He asked the Board to look at ways to better accommodate the growth in the sport of wrestling.
• Shelly Reichmar, a speech language pathologist, asked Board members to increase pay for SLP’s so that JSD can be competitive in attracting the best in her field.
• Maria Johnson, a parent, said there is a need for improved athletic facilities in the District and more practice space. She expressed concern over safety issues due to the small wrestling room at Riverton High School and asked the Board to consider building a field house.
• Jordan Blazovich, a speech language pathologist, said he sees 101 students in his caseload and expressed the need for additional funding for speech language pathologists districtwide. He said this would help the profession be more competitive.
• Hannah Larsen, a student, expressed concern over the small space in the RHS wrestling room which forces some practices to be held in the atrium at the school.
• Greg Hazard, a parent, expressed concern over transportation issues with school buses being late or not available to transport his two children with special needs to school. He said it has happened 18 times this school year, and it is very disruptive to his children. He asked the Board to find a solution.

• Board Comments
• Niki George attended the Midas Creek Elementary School play “Don’t Say No to the USO” which shecalled awesome. She also attended the West Hills Middle School production of “Little Mermaid” calling it incredible and a great show.
• Bryce Dunford reported on a recent UHSAA meeting where he was proud to learn that nearly every Jordan School District winter high school sport placed in state finals this year.
• Brian Barnett reported on the Facilities Committee which he said continues to discuss potential boundary change options.
• Suzanne Wood reported on the Government Relations Advisory Committee which is planning to debrief with local lawmakers on the legislative session which just ended and share requests for future consideration.
• Erin Burrow congratulated Westvale Elementary School’s Art Specialist Rachel Henderson for being recognized by the Utah State Board of Education. Ms. Henderson is one of nine Utah educators receiving the 2025 Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education.
• Darrell Robinson recognized several students who have received international scholarship awards in the International Student Exchange Program and are having a positive experience attending high schools in Utah. He introduced Berry Ahmed Salah Elsayed Soman, who attends Mountain Ridge High School, and Ingra Attiq, who attends Murray High School. Mr. Robinson also recognized two Foothills Elementary School students, Avery Clegg and Esita Uipi, for reading all 40 books in the schools “Battle of the Books” competition. Mr. Robinson reported on the recent State Charter Board meeting which will now take over the charter of Salt Lake Academy. He said the Charter Board plans to close Athlos Academy and transition it as part of a K-12 Salt Lake Academy.
• Lisa Dean attended the Majestic Elementary Arts Academy Spring Art Show saying it was such fun to see what students do combining art with curriculum. Ms. Dean said she was honored to be a judge for the “We the People” competition at West Jordan Middle School and believes it is a valuable learning experience for students involved. She also attended the Midas Creek performance of “Don’t Say No to the USO,” and was blown away by the talent. Ms. Dean expressed appreciation for parents, teachers, and staff who make it possible for students to be involved in the arts.

Closed, Study Session
In closed session, Board members discussed personnel, property, potential litigation, and negotiations.

In open session, the Board reviewed recommendations for the 2026-27 calendar and discussed meeting dates and agendas for advisory committee meetings. They also discussed Board Policy GP104 Board Officers and Appendix Procedures for the Election of Board Officers.

– Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications

1. Study Session – 4:25
   1. Calendar Committee Recommendations for 2026-27 – 5:14
   2. Advisory Committee Meeting Dates and Agendas – 40:27
   3. Discussion on Board Policy GP104 Board Officers and Appendix Procedures for the Election of Board Officers – 1:33:28
2. General Session – 2:39:02
   1. Pledge of Allegiance – 2:40:21
   2. Reverence – 2:41:31
   3. Presentation – Celebrating Oquirrh Hills Middle School – 2:42:42
   4. Resolutions of Appreciation – 2:48:03
   5. Board Member Recognitions – 2:48:56
   6. Superintendent’s Recognitions – 3:04:59
3. Public Comments – 3:07:03
   1. Opportunity for Public Comments on 2025-26 Fee Schedule
   2. Public Comments and Guidelines
4. General Business – Approve Consent Agenda – 3:48:13
   1. Board Minutes
   2. LAND Trust Amendment for Midas Creek Elementary School
   3. LEA Specific Licenses
5. General Business – Accept Consent Agenda – 3:49:09
   1. Expenditures
   2. Financial Statements
   3. Personnel – Licensed and Education Support Professionals
   4. Certificates for Home Instruction
   5. Non-compliance Report
6. Bids – 3:49:47
   1. Bingham High School – HP Chromebooks and Licenses
   2. Central Warehouse – White Copier Paper
   3. Custodial Services – Utility Vehicle Replacement for Three (3) Schools
   4. Facility Services – Emergency Welding Service Agreement
   5. Facility Services – Parking Lot Addition at West Jordan High School
   6. Facility Services – Partition Door Replacement at Riverside Elementary School
   7. Information Systems – APC/Schneider Data Center Upgrade
   8. Information Systems – Skyward Qmlativ Business System
7. Special Business Items – None
8. Information Items – 4:13:34
   1. Superintendent’s Report
9. Discussion Items – 4:14:06
   1. Committee Reports and Comments by Board Members
10. Adjourn – 4:36:15
    1. Motion to Adjourn to Closed Session
11. Potential Closed Session
    1. Character and Competence of Individuals (Personnel)
    2. Property
    3. Potential Litigation
    4. Negotiations
    5. Security