Davis County School District

Agency History #264

CREATION

A new state law in 1905 authorizing local tax support for public schools and allowing countywide consolidation made possible the creation of the Davis County School District on 17 July 1911. District leaders combined local school districts and brought all county schools under centralized management. The guiding philosophy of Davis School District is embodied in the following mission statement: "In partnership with parents and communities, we will foster educational excellence in a safe and nurturing environment where all students can acquire the skills, knowledge, values, and commitment to lifelong learning necessary to contribute and adapt to our diverse and changing world." (Davis County School District Annual Budget Report for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1999.)

FUNCTIONS

Davis School District conducts an educational program for kindergarten and grades one through twelve, organized into elementary, junior high and senior high schools. Davis School District shares common boundaries with Davis County, Utah. The county comprises an area of 268 square miles and had an estimated 223,319 residents in 1998. Even though Davis County is Utah's smallest county in land area, the Davis School District's enrollment is the state's third largest, boasting 58,947 students and a budget of $316.6 million. District offices are located in Farmington, Utah. The district operates 78 schools--51 elementary schools, 13 junior high schools, 7 high schools, and 7 special purpose schools.

ADMINISTRATION

The board is comprised of five Davis County citizens, each elected for a four-year term. A student member (nonvoting) may be appointed according to state guidelines. Members of the board are elected by the registered voters living within the five representative precincts. School board elections are held in November in conjunction with the general election. The board members elect a president and vice president at the time new members are sworn into office. Members terms are staggered to provide continuity. The board has complete and final control over local school matters within the framework set by Utah State Legislature and Utah State Board of Education. The board acts as a legislative body, determining general policies for the programs, care, management, and finance, of the district's public schools. The superintendent appointed by the board is the executive officer of the board. The superintendent and his administrative staff are responsible for the execution of board policies. Henry H. Blood, first president of the board of education, later served as the seventh governor of Utah.

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The superintendent is appointed to a two-year term by the board and works under the direction of the board. The district also employs a business administrator, an assistant superintendent over support services, an assistant superintendent for curriculum, and school directors.

The newly created Davis County government created nine school districts in the fall of 1852. Ten others subsequently were added. The 13 districts in existence in 1911 were consolidated into the Davis County School District.

SUPERINTENDENTS, 1911-PRESENT
Hubert C. Burton,	1911-1945
Elmer J. Hartvigsen,	February 12, 1945-October 1953
Samuel Morgan,	1953-1957
George Harold Holt,	1958-1966
Bernell Wrigley,	1966-1979
Lawrence E. Welling,	February 1980-June 1987
Richard E. Kendell,	1987-Jan. 1, 1997
Darrell K. White,	January 1, 1997-July 1, 2002
W. Bryan Bowles,	July 1, 2002-present

BOARD PRESIDENTS, 1911-PRESENT
Henry H. Blood,	1911-1918
John Rampton,	1918-1921
J. Fred Odell,	1921-1923
George Welling,	1923-1927
R. W. Adams,	1927-1936
John Rampton,	1936-1941
Elgin Roberts,	1941-1943
Jesse D. Barlow,	1943-1947
David Johnston,	1947-1948
Lawrence Parkin,	1948-1949
Golden Stewart,	1949-1950
Thornley K. Swan,	1950-1951
Jesse D. Barlow,	1951-1952
Lionel Williams,	1952-1953
E. Virgil Norton,	1953-1954
Charles A. Larsen,	1954-1955
Thornley K. Swan,	1955-1956
Golden F. Layton,	1956-1957
LeRoy B. Smith,	1957-1958
Newell P. Parkin,	1958-1959
Thornley K. Swan,	1959-1963
Irvin R. Cleverly,	1963-1971
Morris Hansen,	1971-[1975]
Lucille C. Reading,	1977-March 22, 1982 (died in office)
Sheryl L. Allen,	1982-1989
Lynn Summerhays,	1989-1993
Louenda Downs,	1993-1995
Dan R. Eastman,	1995-1997
Barbara A. Smith,	1997-present

COMPILED BY: W. Glen Fairclough, Jr., , July 2002

SOURCES

Davis County School District. Annual Budget Report for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1999.

Davis County School District. Community Relations Office.

Davis County School District. World Wide Web site, www.davis.k12.ut.us [May 2002]

Foy, Les. Manuscript History of Education in Davis County.

Leonard, Glen M. A History of Davis County. Utah Centennial County History Series. Utah State Historical Society and Davis County Commission, 1999.

Moffitt, John Clifton. A Century of Service, 1860-1960: A History of the Utah Education Association. Salt Lake City: Utah Education Association, 1960.

Moffitt, John Clifton. The History of Public Education in Utah. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1946.

Series 83238. Utah. Legislature. Utah Code Annotated, 1851-ongoing. Title 53A, Sections 2-3.

Series 1052. Utah. Legislature. Utah Code Unannotated, 1982-ongoing. Title 53A, Sections 2-3.

Series 10819. Utah. State Office of Education. School Directories, 1912-ongoing.