If only school boards had a crystal ball. Then there would be no guesswork about population shifts and accompanying school building-and-staffing needs.

No such luck.

The Granite School Board on Tuesday voted to close Canyon Rim and Meadow Moor elementary schools and change Granite High into a nontraditional school. The board's decision came some two years after it ordered a study of the shrinking school district, eventually empaneling a committee to develop options to address 8,700 empty seats across the district.

A long, emotional debate ensued, and the school board voted initially to close no schools. After further consideration of concerns, including those raised by the Granite Education Association that its members were not willing to balance the district's budget on the backs of educators, the school board took a different approach.

In a political sense, no school closure is a political win. But under Granite District's financial realities, the board took necessary action to cut costs.

Although the closure of Canyon Rim was painful, it makes financial sense considering that halting busing to the school would have left it with just 210 students. As school board member Sarah Meier observed, "That's one teacher per grade, and that's just not acceptable."

Even though the school district's options committee had included Meadow Moor in two of three school closure scenarios prepared for the school board's consideration, some parents — and even some board members — were dismayed that it ultimately was selected for closure.

It is difficult to envision Granite High's new role as a 10th- through 12th-grade school with smaller learning communities and a strong career emphasis. The school also will feature an integrated fine arts program, a program for English as a second language and programs for struggling students. Also, the school district's program for teen parents will move to Granite. But the district has definite need of educational alternatives, and Granite High's central location makes it ideal for these purposes.

Granite High's traditional boundaries have been dissolved, meaning students will be reassigned to other high schools beginning next fall. One of the ugly sidelines of the school closure debate was whether students from the diverse Granite High would feel welcomed elsewhere if their school was closed. It's time to set aside this pettiness and embrace these students with open arms. Frankly, many Granite District high schools would benefit from enhanced ethnic diversity. Witness the strength of Salt Lake's high schools.

Now that the difficult decisions have been made, the school district has to deliver on the purported cost savings, because the school board has reached its legal limit on raising taxes. It could bond to construct buildings, but bond proceeds cannot be used for school operation costs such as teacher salaries or education programs.

Frankly, it's too early to say definitively whether the decisions of the school board will achieve the cost savings that are expected. But the board should be commended for making very difficult choices amid great political pressure. The board acknowledged taxpayers' expectations that it use the district's resources in a manner that is fiscally sound and in the students' best interest.