A proposal to split Utah’s largest school district into two smaller districts could head to ballots this November, though where exactly new district boundaries would fall is still being determined.
Officials from MGT, a Florida-based consulting firm MGT hired by the Alpine School District to perform a reconfiguration study, formally recommended a two-way split to school board members Tuesday evening. Ultimately, it’s up to the board to decide whether they’ll propose a ballot question.
“If the district does decide to go forward, a two-way split is preferential,” said Lance Richards, educational performance manager for MGT.
The recommendation comes after MGT spent weeks gathering resident feedback on five proposed scenarios that would divide the district into two or three parts. A sixth proposal to keep the district as-is was also presented to residents for feedback.
Of the six options, two involved a two-way split. MGT recommended that the board consider both of those options.
“There was not a lot of support for a three-way [split],” Richards said. “A three-way [split] in terms of splitting your resources and assets might be 10 times as hard in terms of complications.”
The two scenarios under consideration involve dividing Alpine into two separate districts — one to the east, and one to the west. The only difference between the options is whether Lehi would be placed in the east or west.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Alpine school board members now must determine which of the two scenarios they’d like to take to voters — if any.
The board could also forego MGT’s recommendation altogether, but any proposed change would hinge on voter approval. The board met for a study session Wednesday afternoon to continue discussion.
How residents feel
Splitting the Alpine School District has been a possibility for decades due to its rapid population growth — the district covers nearly half of Utah County, which encompasses 13 municipalities and 92 schools.
Despite several previous attempts to reconfigure the district, only one ever made it onto a ballot. The 2022 proposal would have created a new school district in Orem, which the Orem City Council first pitched in August of that year. It ultimately failed, with 73% of voters rejecting it.
Residents this time around overwhelmingly said they’d prefer to keep the district as one, according to in-person and online survey data collected by MGT. Around 11,000 residents and district staff participated.
Still, about 60% of respondents said they think the question of a split should go to a community-wide vote, Richards said. Staff, however, indicated they’d prefer the question not to go to ballots.
“By and large, to a ‘T’, everyone believes the district is doing a pretty good job of educating kids here,” Richards said. “Yet they still endorse a vote on reconfiguration in some form or fashion. "
When asked to weigh both two-way split options, 56% of all those surveyed favored the option with Lehi in the west. However, participants residing within the Lehi area showed a strong preference for the scenario where Lehi would be situated in the east.
An official vote on which option will be brought to ballots likely won’t happen until early May. The Utah County Commission would then need to approve the proposed ballot question, and the issue would need to undergo a 45-day public comment period, before it could be placed on the November ballot.
