Would district have enough students?

PROVO — Show us the students.

Utah County commissioners want proof that a proposed breakaway school district in northern Utah County would have more than 5,000 students, a requirement under a state law written by the leading proponent of the new district, state Rep. David Cox, R-Lehi.

The law requires the commission to establish a fact-finding committee that will study the feasibility of splitting the Alpine School District, but the three commissioners are going to wait until next week.

"I know they think they have 5,000 students," Commissioner Jerry Grover said, "but we should determine if they do because that would be a fatal flaw."

The commission expects the committee's work to cost about $15,000 — a reason, Grover said, to make sure the committee is necessary before appointing it.

Cox, a teacher at one of the Alpine district's elementary schools — Sego Lily Elementary in Lehi — wants to carve a new district within the boundaries of Lehi High School, which includes Lehi, Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs and some unincorporated areas of Cedar Valley.

More than 1,200 people in those areas signed a petition to create the new district.

The commissioners, who appear willing to settle on a committee of nine members, have issued a call for volunteers and expect to establish the committee on Tuesday.

They also agreed on the background of at least four committee members — an employee from the Alpine School District, a sponsor of the petition for the proposed Pioneer School District, an accountant and a management expert.

"We need a good cross-section of people who can provide analysis of the issues," commissioner Gary Herbert said.

Volunteers must live within the Alpine School District's boundaries, which include Orem and all of the cities north to the Point of the Mountain. That restriction bothered Grover.

"I don't know how volatile an issue it may become, but it's an education issue, so it's likely to be volatile," he said. "That's why I think it would be good to have a couple of people from outside to help."

One of the petition's sponsors, Pablo Riboldi, a member of the University of Utah's educational psychology department, volunteered during a commission meeting Tuesday. He also encouraged the commission to cull committee members from the education faculty at Brigham Young University.

Cox, who is also a state legislator legislature who sponsored the law the commission is required to follow in examining the idea of a new district, is convinced research shows smaller districts are more efficient and provide better education.

Alpine officials counter that they run one of the four most efficient districts in the nation and provide quality education to the district's 51,118 students.

Riboldi said people who signed the petition are anxious to see the results of the committee's study, due July 1.

"If the study shows this is not a win-win situation," he said, "I would be the first to oppose it."

The commission must hold a public hearing after the study is complete and vote whether to put the proposed district on the November 2004 ballot.

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