State lawmakers gave Utah parents a precautionary heads up Monday: Brace for school district splits and boundary changes in the coming years.
That’s because legislators are considering changing the school district division process ahead of a potential split of the Alpine School District, the largest in the state.
The change would come through SB292, a bill filed in March but not passed. Sponsored by Sen. Keith Grover, R-Provo, the measure includes two components: changes to Utah statutes about initiating a new school district, and updates to the process a local school district must follow for school closures.
Grover presented the bill Monday during an Education Interim Committee hearing. He said it offers “better direction and some clear indicators in state code” as to what can and can’t happen.
Highlights of possible changes for creating a new school district include:
Increasing the minimum student population of a new school district from 3,000 to 5,000.
Requiring local governing bodies that are seeking a new school district to request a feasibility study from the state auditor, which would evaluate the impact a new district would have on taxpayers.
Allowing municipalities to hold a special election for a new school district’s school board.
Shortening the time frame for a new school district to become operational — to July 1 of the first calendar year following a school board election, instead of two calendar years after an election.
Grover said the paths to initiate a new school district remain the same: a citizens’ initiative petition, a local school board request, or a municipality request.
However, the proposed bill does add or remove steps in the process depending on how a new district is initiated. For example, a request initiated by a citizens’ petition would require a 20-day public comment period on the feasibility study.
School closure plans would require more notice
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Members of the Alpine School District Board of Education, from left, Sara Hacken, Superintendent Shane Farnsworth, Sarah Beeson and Stacey Bateman, vote to close Valley View and Sharon elementary schools on Friday, June 30, 2023.
The bill also proposes changes to the processes that districts must follow when closing a school or adjusting boundaries.
Until this year, state law required 120 days’ notice before approving or implementing plans to close schools or change boundaries. SB143, passed in the 2023 legislative session, changed that requirement to 90 days.
If passed, Grover’s bill would change that requirement again to 180 days’ notice and would require districts to hold, at minimum, two public hearings to allow input.
Lawmakers referenced the 2009 split of the Jordan School District to create the Canyons School District, the state’s first new school district in nearly a century.
“Jordan Schools had their school district split … with no small amount of fanfare and issues,” Grover said Monday.
He also mentioned a failed, but contentious ballot measure that would have split the Alpine School District to create a new district in Orem. Voters shot down the proposal last year.
“That ballot initiative to form their own school district ultimately was not successful, based on whatever factors that the voters voted on, which is fine,” Grover said. “But it did bring to light some of the issues that need to be, I believe, looked at or considered in state code.”
The Alpine School District covers nearly half of Utah County and enrolls 84,000 students. In May, its board voted to begin the process of studying a possible split that could create two or three new districts.
Board members said discussions of a split had been ongoing for 20 years and it was time to consider whether the district was “too big.”
Consolidations have already begun. In June, the Alpine School Board voted to close Valley View and Sharon elementary schools despite a lawsuit filed by parents and scrutiny from Utah lawmakers over whether the district followed school closure laws.
The lawsuit, which has since been withdrawn, was filed by a group of 33 parents contending the district did not comply with the then-120-day requirement for getting public input on closure decisions.
Lawmakers questioned district leaders during two Administrative Rules committee meetings that took place in May and June. Committee members suggested making changes to the school closure timeline to allow affected families enough time to make informed decisions.
At a June meeting, Alpine School board members said the consolidations were, in part, necessary after voters turned down a $600 million bond in 2022 that would have funded the construction of new schools.
“It’s just the beginning,” board member Stacy Bateman said at a June board meeting.
It was a sentiment also shared by lawmakers Monday.
“If you don’t live in Orem, if you don’t reside in the Alpine School District, but you are in an area that is growing in the state of Utah, I invite you to look at this bill,” Grover said. “Because this issue is not going to go away. It may not surface for another five or 10 years, but it’s going to surface.”
He said an official vote will not occur until the regular legislative session begins in January. If passed, the changes would not take effect until May 2024.
