Granite Board of Education reverses vote on Hill View

UPDATE: After press time early Wednesday, the Granite Board of Education voted to reverse its earlier decision to close Hill View Elementary.

Hill View Elementary will close.

Wasatch Junior High will be rebuilt.

Granite High will remain open.

That's what the Granite Board of Education decided as of press time Tuesday in the first of two votes to determine how it wants to balance district enrollments.

The initial "first reading" action came in a packed meeting attended by perhaps 400 people, where dozens of parents, legislators and even Holladay and South Salt Lake city leaders kicked in their two cents on school closures.

Tuesday's vote gives a good idea of where the board is headed. And the plan will be slightly tweaked, if at all, by the time the final vote comes Nov. 29, board President Patricia Sandstrom said.

The 69,000-student district reports having 8,700 empty seats, costing taxpayers $3 million a year to sustain. An options committee of school workers and parents has been examining ways to streamline spending, ensure equitable educational programs and keep students together from elementary through high school.

Following committee recommendations, public input and board discussions, the board last month put three options out for comment. The effort included mailed and employee surveys and those distributed at three public open houses.

Most of those choosing an option gave top ranking to Option 3, or closing Granite High, Wasatch Junior High and Woodstock, Hill View and Canyon Rim elementaries.

That option overall was supported by about 1,580 respondents who chose an option, and received top billing among official options in mailed and employee surveys, according to district reports. It received the second most top rankings in the open houses.

"We agree we need to have schools close," Taylorsville resident Aimee Newton said. "Year after year, we hear cries of the school board to the Legislature, 'We need more money.' If we don't spend our money wisely, how can we expect legislators to give us more money?"

But 1,260 respondents combined voted for no option, the district reported. The Sustainable Education Option, which would close no schools and rebuild Granite and Granger highs, received support in 1,065 surveys where respondents offered comments. Seventy-five more offered it as a "suggestion."