Dear members of the Park City School Board: Congratulations on your new term, and thank you for serving our community. The Park City School District is at a critical juncture, presenting both challenges and opportunities to rebuild trust and focus on the well-being of our students.We are reaching out because we believe we share common goals: student success, trust and community. While the district remains a top performer in the state, this success is largely due to the dedication of our teaching staff. Unfortunately, success has been achieved despite, rather than because of, district leadership.The shortcomings of the district’s administration are well known, so we won’t revisit them here. Like you, we want to focus on building a brighter future. However, we believe avoiding past mistakes is essential to creating the best environment for our children.There are several areas we have been actively discussing:Fiscal ResponsibilityThe total compensation for the top 10 district office employees has increased by nearly 50%, or almost $1 million, since Dr. Gildea’s tenure began (while enrollment declined nearly 20%). We hope you will revisit all administrative positions created since 2018 to ensure funded positions are a current, and relevant, priority. Frequent property tax increases, coupled with over-budget construction projects and lease-revenue bond commitments, have strained community trust. Financial cutbacks are necessary to restore confidence.Audit and AccountabilityA lack of accountability at the top has eroded trust in the school district. We encourage you to take the following actions to help rebuild trust and ensure accountability:Hire an independent firm to conduct an external forensic audit of district finances and practices to identify whether any fraud, misappropriation of funds, or illegal fiscal activities occurred. There are plenty of documented issues regarding fiscal responsibility that would benefit from this independent evaluation. Transparently investigate hiring, contracts and management practices to ensure best practices are being applied and loopholes for unethical practices are eliminated. Create a code of conduct for board members and district leadership to ensure accountability for unethical actions, including retaliation, conflicts of interest, or misuse of funds. Every district employee should be required to adhere to a code of conduct. Establish a fraud and abuse hotline, modeled after the Davis County School District, for reporting irregularities.CultureWe repeatedly hear that a culture of fear hinders progress. Addressing cultural issues may require an external review of district practices over the past six years to identify areas needing change. We hope the new board will commit to ending retaliation and attacks against journalists and community members seeking transparency, and make a formal resolution committing to accountability and truthfulness. Next SuperintendentThe next superintendent will play a crucial role in reshaping district culture. While the board is influential, the superintendent drives daily operations and sets the tone. We urge transparency and community involvement in the selection process, including clear criteria based on integrity, accountability, and collaboration. The recent survey of priorities to parents is a great start to gather territories of priority; we’d like to see that as the starting line. Community InvolvementPark City is home to many talented individuals with diverse experiences. We encourage you to establish formal mechanisms for community engagement, such as appointing representatives beyond the school board to provide input on key decisions. Involving the community will foster diverse perspectives and a sense of shared responsibility.With these commitments, the Park City School District can rebuild trust and achieve greater success. Our teachers and staff are exceptional, but we must confront district-level failures and the resulting erosion of trust. These issues likely contributed to many of you being elected, and we see hope in your leadership.The path ahead may be challenging, but with transparency, accountability, and collaboration, progress will happen. We look forward to working with you to create a brighter future for our schools.Thank you for your dedication to our students, teachers, and community.Josh Mann, Karl Persson, Sarah CrockettPark CityThe post Let’s get this right appeared first on Park Record.