The show goes on. Park City School Board renews the superintendent’s contract.

Thank you to everyone who supported Karl and my petition not to renew Dr. Gildea’s contract this year. We did well; as of now, there are over 525 signatures. Unfortunately, we didn’t do well enough. The Park City School Board voted 3-2 to renew her contract.

As they say, though, the show goes on. We’ll have to see what it means when the new board is seated in January. They could retain Dr. Gidlea, or they may fire her. If they fire her and her new contract is structured like the current one, taxpayers will be on the hook for about $275,000 in compensation for being let go. That’s a lot of money.

One of the criticisms that I have frequently received from School Board President Andrew Caplan is that my criticism of Superintendent Dr. Gildea is unfair or perhaps mean-spirited. My response is, please don’t confuse dissent with disloyalty. I want the best for our schools. I want the best for our teachers. I want the best for our children. Park City affords many of our children a better chance for success because of what it inherently is. We shouldn’t squander that opportunity. I’m afraid that we are.

Are the additions of preschools in our elementary schools good? Yes. Does US News rate Park City Schools highly? Yes. Was A/C working in the high school yesterday? No. Will our construction come in at budget? Maybe. Will bullying and racism be almost non-existent in our schools? Will the school district figure out how to coexist with other local governments? Will teachers be treated with respect? I’m not so sure.

Will Dr. Gildea perform like a rock star over the next five months? I hope so. Time will tell.

The show goes on.