Where is your car going to park after it’s dropped you off at PCMR?
Longtime readers are probably aware of our interest in the self driving car. Self driving cars don’t text like a driver does — they are always paying attention. Self driving cars optimize the distance between the car in front of them. Self driving cars maximize the efficiency of cars on the road.
We feel self driving cars are part of the long-term solution to Park City’s traffic problems. It looks like Google’s subsidiary, Waymo, is launching its fleet of self driving cars this month in Mountain View and Phoenix.
That is why we often look at initiatives proposed by the city and county as short-term. They seem to be spending a great deal of money on solutions that will work sometime in the future (i.e., when we will supposedly all park-n-ride and take the bus) but ignores that we will never use those solutions because the future will supersede those ideas (and we won’t ride the bus in mass).
Will self-driving cars be ready to handle complex Utah winters in 5 years? We’d wager it won’t.
How about 10 years from now? We’d wager that it’s getting close. Ten years ago, the iPhone and Facebook were both launched (we’d argue that those technologies have transformed EVERYONE’s lives). Imagine what happens in ten years when technology and car companies are focused on it.
How about 20 years from now? Yes (for most people). Remember 1997? The Yellow Pages were BIG and innovation didn’t move like it does now.
And that’s the issue. The solutions our government seems to be making now, based on 20th century ideas, better work now or in the next couple of years. If they don’t, we will likely have made the best buggy whip imaginable.
If our plans don’t include the extreme likelihood of self driving cars in them, then we are missing the boat.
Where is your car going to park itself after it drops you off at PCMR?
Yes! Finally a use for Richardson Flat.
in Environment
The real ghost from Christmas future
Sappy? Yes.
Beautiful? Yes.
True? Yes.
More Seattle than Park City? Yes.
in Health
Need a flu shot? Try the Summit County Health Department
I used to get regular flu shots. That is, until my father in law received a flu shot that damaged his rotator cuff. He had gone to a pharmacy and the pharmacist gave him the flu shot too near his shoulder. He couldn’t raise his arm above his head for almost two years.
So, a few years have passed since I received one. However, after having a bad case of the flu, I decided I should take precautions against other strains. So, my family and I tried the Summit County Health Department. It was the least painful shot I have ever received. The person administering the shot was friendly. She handled my kids perfectly. She even had stuffed animals and hot wheels as rewards.
If you are planning on getting a flu shot, and haven’t, you may want to give them a try. They are at Quinn’s Junction. It’s a little confusing because the main sign says “People’s Health Clinic” but that’s the building you’re looking for.
Also, give them a call before you go. No appointment is necessary and they usually offer them between 9Am and 4PM… but call to make sure they are available that day.
Here is the phone number:
435.333.1500
The address is:
650 Round Valley Drive, Park City, Utah 84060
in Education
Additional detail on Park City Teacher salaries from an expert
We received an email from current Park City Biology teacher and former Park City Education Association Co-President, Ed Mulick. He wanted to provide additional clarity on teacher salaries. His email did a great job educating us on Park City teacher and salary benefits. If you are interested in the topic, we would recommend reading Mr Mulick’s email below:
The figures in Utah Right to Know can be misleading but they are correct.
Below is the link to the salary schedule determining the amounts Park City teachers receive in their paychecks. Check it out. For better or worse, it is a compromise between a more traditional teacher schedule and an incentive based contract.
http://www.pcschools.us/index.php?page=204&showfile=thefile&rowid=335&noattach=1
In addition to the base salary shown in the salary schedule, school districts are required to pay additional costs to fund teacher retirements (22.19%), a 401 K (1.5%), and FICA (7.65%). The district also provides a shared-cost health insurance package to full-time employees.
According to a benefit study done by ArthurJ. Gallagher @ Co., commissioned by PCSD in 2015, the average Park City teacher had 10 years of experience, held a Master’s degree, one endorsement, and received a base salary of $60,955. This average Park City teacher salary of $60,955, when compared to other teacher salaries, was the highest in Utah. The second highest average teacher salary was in Salt Lake City District at $57,364.
Due to Park City’s ski industry and higher income and property values, some socioeconomic factors are unique to the Park City School District. For this reason the Gallagher study also compared Park City to six out of state districts including Bend, OR, Sun Valley, ID, Truckee, CA, Breckenridge, CO, Aspen, CO, and Jackson, WY. When compared to these other out of state districts, the average Park City teacher salary came in fourth. The highest average teacher salary of these six districts was in Truckee, CA at $70,506, the second was Jackson, WY at $67,075, and third was Hailey, ID at $63,231.
One reason Park City School schools have a culture of excellence is because the best and brightest teachers were originally attracted to this district because of competitive salaries.
PCSD students regularly score higher than the state average and the national average on SAT and ACT test scores, a large percentage of our student body takes advantage of AP classes (over 1000 AP tests were taken by students last year), our pass rate is higher than the national average (81% in PC versus 54% nationwide) and our graduates get into the best colleges in the nation. Park City schools also offer unprecedented opportunity and support for English language learners, special education students, artists, musicians and athletes.
These numbers are especially impressive when you consider we are a 3A school district.
These results are not by accident. Our district’s teacher training lasts three years in which a teacher is constantly evaluated to see if they meet the standard of Park City School District. Even after our preliminary three-year period, the expectations remain high for ALL teachers. The majority of PCSD teachers are constantly seeking to refine their skills.
In addition, Park City Schools are filled with other professionals, such as nurses, counselors, librarians, social workers, and paraprofessionals who all positively impact the learning of the whole child. The vast majority of teachers in this district are hardworking, putting in many hours of overtime. The same is true of our administrators. We take pride in our work because we care about our students.
Thanks,
Ed Mulick
Park City Teacher
* It should also be noted those teachers making top salaries were receiving a $5,000 state funded stipend for teaching math or math-based classes like chemistry or physics, and/or were teaching additional classes, and/or were receiving USTAR money for teaching summer school, after-school tutoring sessions, or after-school science labs.
This is the day school should have been closed
The temperature on the dashboard read -18ºF as I passed by the school bus picking up children at 6:39AM. Near where I live, most parents drive their kids to the bus stop in weather like this.
As I stepped outside my car, my face froze and my hands hurt after about 10 seconds. My thoughts turned to those kids who might actually have to wait outside for the bus, instead of inside of their parents SUV. According to the National Weather Service, frostbite can occur in as little as five minutes when temperatures are between 0ºF and -19ºF.
Yes, the horse has been beaten dead about Tuesday’s snow day. However, if our standard is ensuring that children can safely use the bus, a morning like this seems equally, if not more, dangerous.
in Education
Accuracy of posted Park City teacher salaries
Before Christmas we posted an article on Park City teacher salaries. We decided not to post teacher names but still received substantial pushback on the data’s accuracy. Most commenters said that they always found the numbers inflated. Some said that what we published did not match what they received. So, we decided to reach out to the State of Utah for an explanation.
Their response was:
The employee compensation data shown on the Transparency website for Park City School District (and all other entities) is submitted by the individual entity to the website.
The amounts shown for an individual employee is the actual amount paid during the fiscal year which in the case of Park City School district is twelve months ended as of each June 30th (i.e., July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016) [note: the Park Rag numbers were ending June 2015].
This amount also includes the total amount of employee benefits paid by the employer (such as employer paid taxes, health and/or life insurance, retirement benefits, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, etc.) and the various amounts for salaries or wages, leave paid, etc.
Once the entity has been selected on the Transparency website along with the applicable year and then selecting employee compensation, then the names employees can be displayed by selecting the “Name” tab which displays the employees and their position title along with the combined total of employer paid benefits and salaries or wages, etc. To see the detail for each employee, just click on the employee name and then the next panel to the right will show the break down of employee compensation components such as salaries and wages, leave paid (if any), and employer paid benefits.
If a person has a question regarding the employee compensation for a specific employee or the district as a whole, they can contact the school district office.
It appears that:
- Data comes from the school district (or whatever government entity you work for). So, if you have a beef, contact them.
- The numbers include dollars you may not see on your paycheck. For instance, you may see a 7.65% FICA tax on your paycheck but your employer is also paying 7.65% (and you may not see that). Likewise, you may see a healthcare expense of $200 but your employer may be paying $800 for you and your family (and you may not see that either).
We do see the employee’s point of view who may say, “but some of that isn’t really a benefit, so it’s unfair to present that as compensation. It paints an inaccurate picture.” There is some truth in that.
That said, from a taxpayer standpoint, many of us want to know what an employee is costing the people. That would include any expense related to an employee’s job, whether the employee sees it in the form of cash or not.
Again, perhaps every number submitted, from every organization, is over-inflated. However, its more likely that there is a substantial amount of cost that the average employee just doesn’t see.
Transit incentives could give Parkites a reason to ride the bus
As long-time readers probably know, we don’t have a lot off faith in the bus system solving our transit issues. However, we always like to hear new ideas that may convince us and other community members to ride the bus.
With that in mind, we received a letter from a citizen who had an interesting idea about increasing bus ridership. If you have a few minutes we would recommend you give it a read.
Transit Incentives
by Ellen Sherk
I believe we can put a band-aid on our transit problem. It might not be a permanent solution, but if residents and visitors give it a try, it just might work. Human nature calls for instant gratification, especially if it means altering your lifestyle. To get people on the bus, let’s offer them incentives: the more you ride the bus, the more incentives you get.
Before I moved to Park City, I lived in an area that started an incentive program for recycling through Recyclebank. The more you recycled, the more points you accrued, which could be used towards coupons. Why not do the same thing for our bus system? All busses can be equipped with a card reader. Every time you ride the bus, you swipe your card. Every time you swipe your card, you get points. Anyone can get a card, whether you live here or are only visiting.
So who’s going to pay for these card readers, cards and the marketing it will take to make this program successful? Vail, Deer Valley and the town of Park City. All three will benefit when people get out of their cars and on the bus. It will take a lot of marketing to make visitors and residents aware of this program, but the benefits will be no more Carmageddons!
But incentives must be worth it for people to change their habits: discounted lift tickets, free lift tickets, restaurant coupons, resort restaurant coupons, event coupons, shop coupons. Go to Recyclebank’s website and see how many different rewards they offer.
We already have a popular incentives program that works in Park City: Smith’s gas points program. And a successful one in Salt Lake as well: REI. Maybe Smith’s, REI and Recyclebank can give us some helpful advice on how to make this program work. If it can increase store loyalty and recycling, it can most definitely increase bus ridership.
Note: If you have an idea or would be interested in writing something, let us know.
in Education
That about sums up Park City’s Snow Day
Note: The fact that the Park Rag screws up language all the time is not lost on us. However, we just couldn’t resist.
Be careful if you brand your car and drive like a jerk
One of the trends around Park City is branding your car. You’ve probably seen the cars around town with decals plastered across the car, magnetic signs on the doors, or signs in windows.
They may be advertising their property management company, their coffee shop, their landscaping company, or any of a hundred different businesses.
However, we wonder if people realize that marketing works both ways.
It’s like walking into a shop on Main St and having an employee treat you like crap, the store is reflected in a negative way. When a driver, who had a branded car, acts in an inconsiderate way, it negatively reflects the brand.
We saw that about five times this morning during a ten minute drive.
Of course, at times, I’m sure we aren’t the best drivers in the world. The difference is that we don’t have enough money to pay for a car and put “Park Rag” signs all over it.
If you do, you should be aware that inconsiderate driving WILL impact how people view your ACME Pilates business, or whatever your car is pedaling.
in Education
Park City School Closures
We’ve received a few emails and comments on the school district closing school today. As is typical, we don’t really get the comments praising the school district for bowing to the snow gods (we’re sure many parents are happy to go skiing with their kids). However, we did get a few emails from parents who were upset with the decision. One parent emailed at about 6:45AM and said the road outside her house was completely plowed and couldn’t understand how schools were closed.
Another email commented, “Do you know how much not being able to work is costing me? While I’m all for safety, this seems ridiculous.”
We reached out to the school district for comment. Molly Miller with the Park City School District replied:
***********************************************************************
“The decision was made this morning because there was about a foot of snow on the side roads and buses were unable to make it through. Here’s a look at the policy:
***********************************************************************
We view the decision to close school as a damned if you do and damned if you don’t decision. If something were to happen to a bus, there would be an uproar, and potentially kids hurt. However, there probably are some kids who are hungry today because they didn’t get school lunches.
But heck, it’s a good day for Vail as kids flock to the resorts.
However, the best quote just came in from a reader. She says, “I was just at the doctor in Salt Lake and they asked what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I told them Park City schools were closed, so I am taking care of my children. The doctor said, ‘Park City closed for snow?’ and couldn’t stop laughing.”
Maybe that doctor has a point. Park City is the only school in the state to close because of this storm.
That said, it’s supposed to snow from 6PM tonight for the next day or two. They are predicting up to 30 more inches of snow by Thursday. So, it looks like Park City kids may get another couple of ski snow days.
Parkrag
We believe in citizen journalism. We believe there are stories to tell that can help to shape our community for the better. We believe tomorrow's Park City can be better than today's.