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District presents K–12 curriculum, teacher induction and federal grant work; reports low turnover and summer programs
Summary
District curriculum leaders briefed the board on implementation of the High Reliability Schools model, a three‑year teacher induction program, targeted summer academies and use of federal grants (including a multi‑year YBLI/YBL grant) to fund literacy, interventions and professional development.
Dr. Ingalls, director of curriculum and instruction, told the board the district uses the High Reliability Schools (HRS) framework as its overarching school-improvement model and highlighted several ongoing initiatives: a three‑year induction program for new teachers, regular guaranteed-and-viable curriculum updates, collaborative PLC work and standards‑based reporting efforts.
“One of the things that we're really proud of here in Uinta County School District number 1 is our induction program,” Dr. Ingalls said. He told trustees the district’s three‑year onboarding and cohort approach contributes to teacher retention: across the United States roughly 40% of teachers leave the profession within five years; the district’s rate is about 4%.
Leaders described summer and supplemental programs: a summer academy operating at K–12 levels (credit recovery at the high school, gap remediation for grades 6–8 and targeted K–5 interventions) that served more than 400 students in recent operations. Staff explained the district runs benchmark assessments twice yearly and organizes interventions in tiered MTSS groups. The district also reported adopting a new handwriting curriculum (Zaner‑Bloser) for elementary classrooms after a teacher-reviewed pilot.
Federal grants and targeted funding streams were a central part of the presentation. The district said it has received roughly $3.6 million through a multi‑year reading grant that funded professional learning, pre‑K supports and interventionists; that grant is scheduled to end in September and leaders said they are planning to sustain core elements through reallocation and other federal sources where possible. The district uses Title I for services to low‑income students (the speaker noted the district’s free/reduced percentage as 58%), Title III for ELL supports and Perkins for CTE equipment and programming; the board heard that new state legislation will begin line‑item funding for CTE at EHS next year.
Administrators also reviewed personnel metrics and human‑capital work: the district reported 294 certified staff and 300 support staff for a total of 594 employees, with average years of service of 12.9 for certified staff and 8.1 for support staff. The presentation listed multiple professional-development investments, including Title IIa funds, and said the combined investment across Title I/II/IDEA and other federal pools produces roughly $750,000 per year in development for staff.
Board members asked about the summer credit‑recovery design; administrators explained that summer recovery targets specific standards students did not demonstrate in the regular year and are not a full semester course for students who scored low in a course. Trustees also praised recent HRS certifications and encouraged ongoing monitoring of PLC effectiveness.
No action was taken; the presentation was received for information and staff said they will return with more implementation details and updates on grant transitions as federal funding sunsets.
