Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Inclusion Assignment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves temporary 'administrator on special assignment' to accelerate co‑teaching and inclusion work
Summary
The Salt Lake City School Board voted May 6 to add a temporary administrator on special assignment to support districtwide inclusion and co‑teaching practices. Proponents said the short‑term district‑level role enables systemic training for principals and leaders; opponents said schools need more permanent building‑level supports.
The Salt Lake City School Board approved a temporary administrator on special assignment on May 6 to support districtwide inclusion and the district’s co‑teaching efforts.
Superintendent spoke in favor of the position during the discussion agenda, saying the role would “work with leaders in the school district to improve our practices across all of our schools,” focusing on training principals, assistant principals and central teams to implement co‑teaching and push‑in strategies rather than primarily relying on pull‑out services.
Staff said the role is intended to be temporary and funded using one‑time resources to avoid ongoing maintenance‑of‑effort conflicts with federal programs. Business Administrator Alan Kearsley told the board outside counsel had reviewed maintenance‑of‑effort concerns and found no significant conflicts for the temporary position.
Board debate and vote
Board members supported the systemic rationale for placing the role at the district level so that one person could coach leaders across schools rather than providing narrower, school‑level coverage. “If it’s placed at a school level … we just are unable to do the systemic pieces that we want to accomplish,” the superintendent said in justification.
Some trustees opposed the hire on fiscal and priority grounds. Board Member Ashley Anderson said she was concerned about approving another administrator‑level temporary position when school buildings are requesting permanent supports such as behavior specialists and family‑school collaboration coordinators that were cut in recent years. She said she could not support “an administrative role in addition at this time.”
The motion to approve the administrator on special assignment passed on a roll‑call vote recorded at the meeting: Ashley Anderson — no; Bridal (Bryce) Jensen — yes; Amanda Longwell — yes; Grace Williams — yes; Charlotte Fife Jefferson — yes; Bryce Williams — yes (the recording lists some votes as abstain elsewhere, but the roll call recorded at final vote showed a majority in favor). (Vote details are captured from the board’s roll call during the meeting.)
What the position would do
District officials said the temporary administrator would:
- Provide district‑level coaching and professional development to principals and leadership teams on inclusion and co‑teaching best practices. - Coordinate training between special education and general education staff under the teaching-and‑learning umbrella. - Work with teacher‑leaders, principals and central office teams to implement consistent, districtwide approaches to push‑in supports, tiered interventions and monitoring.
Why it matters: Board members said the role aims to accelerate implementation of the board’s Inclusive Schools Resolution and make systemic changes that a single, school‑level hire could not accomplish.
Next steps: The approved position will be posted and staffed according to district hiring procedures; staff said they would report back on implementation timelines and outcomes to the board.
