The Wasatch Learning Academy School Community Council held a virtual meeting via Zoom in October 2026 to conduct an informational discussion regarding school funding and student performance. According to draft minutes published October 20, the meeting proceeded without formal votes or decisions because a quorum was not present.
Principal Ryan Brown reviewed the school's website transparency, noting that the Community Council page under the About Us section contains current and historical plans, meeting agendas, and related records. The principal also addressed the school's LAND Trust and Teacher and Student Success Plan (TSSP) funding. He reported that most LAND Trust funding supports staffing, including paraeducators and approximately half of the school's teachers. He noted that revenue from state trust lands contributes to the permanent fund and school distributions under the oversight of the school board.
The council reviewed student achievement data from NWEA and RISE assessments. Principal Brown explained that NWEA assessments are used for Connect students during the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Data suggested greater summer regression in mathematics than in reading, while no aggregate summer slide in reading was observed in the presented charts. Regarding RISE testing, the principal reported that for participating students in grades 3–8, there was 63% proficiency in English language arts and 40% in mathematics on the prior year's assessments. He noted that approximately 20% or fewer of students across Connect, FlexDirect, and Portfolio participate in RISE, which limits the representativeness of the results.
During the discussion, participants considered whether future school goals should place a greater emphasis on mathematics due to lower proficiency levels compared to English language arts. A council participant, Sarah, inquired if Connect students have access to supplemental mathematics tools similar to reading programs like UPSTART, Waterford, or Lexia. Principal Brown stated he would investigate the availability of such resources.
The principal plans to call another council meeting in November to address council organization and other business requiring a quorum. He will also email the training presentation and materials to the council members. The council will consider mathematics and English language arts achievement trends when developing future goals and may examine practices at comparison schools.
