Deepest appreciation for school districts

Everyone has an opinion about education, especially because we all have some type of our own experience as a student. The onset of the pandemic presented a no-win situation for our communities’ board members and administrators where many hard decisions were made — some not popular at the time. As a parent living through the challenge of educating my child and trying to make the best decision for his educational journey, I want to express my deepest appreciation for the talented educators, including district administrators and the local governing boards.

Our family applauds North Summit, South Summit, and Park City school districts for their continued devotion and leadership during this unprecedented time. The pure fact that schools remained open for the majority of the school year should be celebrated. The collaboration between the Health Department, the governor’s office and the Utah State Board of Education was an act of dedication for our students in Summit County. Teachers, support staff, principals and district administrators deserve more than words of appreciation, as this year has been one to never forget. May their summer be full of rejuvenation and well-deserved rest.

Ember Conley

Tollgate Canyon

*****

Demand better of leadership

Leadership has many facets, but at its core it is getting a group of people to work toward a common goal. And as such, it involves clearly communicating that goal to the group so that they understand the objective, the alternatives and are willing to work together toward that goal.

Park City’s current leadership seems to be lacking in those fundamentals, and instead assumes that the masses will simply nod their heads and fall in line with city government decisions. Those decisions can be deciding to paint our Main Street with the logo of an organization led by avowed Marxists, or deciding that hazardous waste materials should be collected in a site near our city and its water supply, or that we should spend millions of dollars on an arts district that apparently fills a critical need. Or that leadership can take the form of assuming that “we know best” and not effectively working with the surrounding county on problems of mutual interest, like local and regional parking and transportation. It can also involve deceptive actions like “visioning” for our community, and then making zoning decisions to allow development that goes in the opposite direction of what our community wants.

One of my early mentors said “you get what you demand … or what you tolerate.” When elections come around, we should take a hard look at our current leadership, and not tolerate this situation. We should demand better!

Ken Miller

Jeremy Ranch

*****

An unacceptable practice

I live in the Newpark area, along the Swaner Preserve. I was horrified to see the poison traps set up along homes in the area that are meant to poison and kill the Uinta squirrels, aka potguts.

The potguts are eaten by many of the animals and birds that live or visit the preserve, so by poisoning the potguts, they are poisoning the animals higher up on the food chain, including the amazing sandhill cranes.

A representative from the Swaner Preserve informed me that they had a meeting with the offending HOA and gave them alternative ideas and solutions, but they ignored the experts. When I wrote to the HOA, they totally dismissed me.

I feel this is an unacceptable practice and wanted to shout it out to the public.

Jeanette Thorson

Newpark