Salt Lake City students hoping to continue their arts-centric education at the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts can breathe a sigh of relief: The school will continue operating — under the umbrella of a different charter school.
SPA had been in danger of closing for good after the Salt Lake City School District in March notified the school that it was concluding its role as SPA’s authorizing agency and terminating the school’s charter. SPA leadership asked the Utah State Charter School Board to take over its authorization, but board members failed to pass a motion to do so.
That didn’t mark its end, though. Now, the school will be acquired by Canyon Grove Academy, which currently has charter locations in Pleasant Grove, South Jordan and Tooele. The change is possible because of a new state law that allows a charter school that has seen its authorization terminated to be transferred under the governing body of another charter school.
For SPA, the move means the school can continue operating at its current location. The decision also allows Canyon Grove to expand its footprint and offer more educational opportunities, like a performing arts education, to its students, said the charter’s superintendent, Kim Goates.
“This opportunity we have as Canyon Grove to come in and almost create a district-type situation, where we can create more support for these schools, I think that’s the big winner to it,” she said.
How will SPA change?
Goates said Canyon Grove will try to “keep everything as consistent as possible.”
That means SPA’s name likely won’t change, though Canyon Grove Academy’s name could be added in some way, she said. The details have not yet been finalized.
SPA also will continue to serve high school students, she said. What’s new: Canyon Grove will add and open a hybrid elementary school on the SPA campus next school year.
Currently, Canyon Grove only serves students from grades K-8 in both an online and a “hybrid-flexible” model, where a majority of their students attend class on campus for a day and a half each week.
In past years, SPA students took their core academic classes — such as math and science — at Highland High School. That changed when SPA moved from the since-demolished Rosslyn Heights Elementary building into the former Oquirrh School Building, located at 350 S. 400 East.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The former campus of the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts, when it was housed in the since-demolished Rosslyn Heights Elementary building on 2000 East, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
After that move last summer, SPA began creating its own core academic curriculum. Canyon Grove will continue to let the performing arts school use that curriculum.
“We’re just building on what they’ve already done,” Goates said. “The idea is not to come in and take over SPA and change everything.”
The school’s board of trustees, however, will not be staying on, she said.
Taking on a struggling school
Both the Salt Lake City School District and the state school board cited SPA’s financial issues and relatively low enrollment numbers when deciding not to step in and save the performing arts school’s charter.
Between July 2023 and February 2024, SPA had lost almost $675,000, and was projected to lose almost $950,000 by June, according to documents submitted to the state charter board in March.
Its total number of enrolled students also never reached 275, an enrollment guarantee agreed upon with the Salt Lake City School District.
“I really do appreciate the distress that your school is in, and I understand that factors that are out of your control have led you there,” board member Michelle Smith told SPA officials at the March meeting. “But I also hear some basic elements that, to me, sounds like financial irresponsibility.”
Goates said that despite SPA’s financial issues, “it goes back to the seats” — as in, seats available to students.
While SPA has struggled with enrollment, Canyon Grove has seen more interest than student seats available, Goates said. By acquiring SPA, Canyon Grove can now offer more seats — and with more seats comes more funding.
That projected funding boost could help support SPA’s needs, including “big-ticket items” such as a roof repair, she said.
An apparent renegotiation of SPA’s current building lease could also help save money. Goates told state charter board members at a May meeting that Canyon Grove has a letter of intent with SPA’s landlord that stands to significantly lower the building’s rent for the year, with the option to renew.
“I want the year to give the kids the stability they need,” Goates said.
State board members express confidence
While state charter board members criticized SPA in March, they were more confident in accepting its transfer to Canyon Grove.
Board member Rabecca Cisneros noted in her “yes” vote that she felt Canyon Grove had a “history of accountability.”
“They’ve shown accountability to this board; they’ve shown accountability to their families and their stakeholders, to their charter; and they have a strong team,” Cisneros said.
After reaching the majority vote, charter board vice chair Cynthia Phillips congratulated both Canyon Grove and SPA, calling it an “innovative kind of agreement.”
“A lot of people worked very hard in order to make sure that these adorable students have a soft place to land, and that a very strong and successful charter school can continue to grow and offer additional programs to students,” Phillips said.
As of late May, SPA had a little over 100 students enrolled for next school year, Goates said. She feels some families may have been “scared” that the school would close, opting to send their children elsewhere.
“I hope we’ve made it really clear that in providing this support that Canyon Grove brings, that SPA is going to continue,” she said. “We want the School for the Performing Arts, we need the School for Performing Arts … It’s here to stay.”
SPA will officially transfer its charter to Canyon Grove on June 30, pending documentation, Goates said.
