After narrowly escaping closure last year, Windsor and Lindon elementary schools are once again under study for potential shutdown following a recent decision by the Alpine School Board.
The closure study, which the board approved Tuesday, comes as Utah County residents prepare to vote in November on splitting the state’s largest school district.
While it doesn’t mean the schools will close, initiating the study is the first step toward that possibility.
Windsor hosts one of the Alpine School District’s dual language immersion programs, and Lindon provides gifted and talented services.
That’s why board member Mark Clement said Tuesday he was opposed to the closure study, emphasizing that other schools lack the space to host these programs, which would force them to dissolve as well.
“I understand where Mark is coming from,” board member Stacy Bateman countered, “but I’m looking at this as just a study. … I’m OK with initiating a study and looking at other possibilities our district leadership may come up with.”
A looming district split
Two interlocal split proposals will be presented to Utah County voters in November:
• A proposal to create a “Central District” encompassing American Fork, Cedar Hills, Draper, Alpine, Highland and Lehi
• A proposal to create a “West District” that includes Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Fairfield, and Cedar Fort.
Although Cedar Fort didn’t sign the interlocal agreement, the formation of a ‘West District” would leave the town isolated. For that reason, Utah code required the three other cities to include Cedar Fort in the agreement, said Aaron Davidson, Utah County Clerk.
“They’re such a small community that they felt like they couldn’t afford to pay the legal fees to enter into the local agreement,” Davidson said. “And so the other cities agreed to share the cost.”
As interlocal measures, only residents in those cities will vote on the proposals.
If a “Central District” is established, Alpine will be divided into three smaller districts within Utah County: central, west and south, Davidson previously told The Salt Lake Tribune.
In that scenario, the “South District,” would be created by default and comprise of Orem, Lindon, Pleasant Grove and Vineyard. Those four cities met in May to discuss the possibility of forming an interlocal split agreement but ultimately decided against it.
Rich Stowell, spokesperson for the Alpine School District, stated that while the board is fully aware of the potential split, they must act “independently of any district reconfiguration.”
“Individual board members will consider many factors when they cast votes on the various motions related to the current study,” Stowell said. “The motions to open studies on program changes and on school closures was made irrespective of the interlocal agreements to create new school districts.”
The Alpine School District was also gearing up to send its own two-way split proposal to voters, but was blocked by Utah lawmakers.
In a special June legislative session, lawmakers passed HB3003, titled “School District Amendments,” which prevents local school boards from initiating a process to divide a district. The rule change applied retroactively, effectively blocking Alpines’s board from splitting the district this year.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, said the legislation was necessary due to the two interlocal proposals. The Alpine school board’s proposed split would have conflicted with them, and if all three split proposals passed, Utah lacks a process to determine which would win out.
Why Windsor and Lindon face potential closure again
Windsor and Lindon were part of a study last year that ultimately led to the closure of two other schools, Valley View and Sharon elementary schools. At the time, district officials said more studies needed to be done before closing Lindon, Windsor and Lehi Elementary School, which was part of the initial closure study.
Those closures came amid a lawsuit and scrutiny by Utah lawmakers over whether the Alpine School District followed the school closure laws that applied at the time.
The district initially announced its intent to conduct the closure study in December 2022. State law, until this year, required 120 days’ notice prior to approving or implementing plans to close schools or change boundaries. SB143, passed in the 2023 legislative session, changed that requirement to 90 days.
The lawsuit, which was later withdrawn, was filed by a group of parents in April 2023, contending the district did not give that 120 days’ required notice.
“Lindon Elementary and Windsor Elementary remain a source of concern for the district because of the age of the facilities and other factors,” Stowell said as to why they’re being considered for closure once again. “Because those facilities continue to age, it makes sense that they would be candidates for boundary studies and possible closure.”
The study will be conducted in-house as the district has no plans to hire an outside firm, Stowell said.
“Older facilities have higher maintenance costs. Seismic risk is a safety concern and expensive to mitigate,” Stowell said. “The board will always look to strike balance among these costs, safety, and programs that result in the best learning experiences for students in Alpine School District.”
