Granite spokesman Randy Ripplingler said the district's next step is to notify the parents at the closing elementary schools and Granite High.

The process of ferreting out how the new Granite High will function has yet to start.

Since the school will be 10th to 12th grade, ninth-graders will attend Granite Park Junior High School starting next fall. Students in the area can either continue to attend Granite or transfer to their new high school, either Olympus, Cottonwood, Granger or Skyline.

Granite's enrollment was at 1,021 in 2004, and 900 of those students lived within the school's boundaries. Some 28 percent of high-schoolers in the area already opt to attend a different school.

Bertoch said under its new mission as a nontraditional school, Granite High School will consolidate existing programs such as the teen parent program and alternative programs currently housed at Central High School. It will also incorporate new programs such as one to allow new English language students to adapt before moving on to traditional high schools.

Bertoch said he'd like to see 1,000 to 1,200 students in 10th to 12th grade use the school. The idea of refocusing Granite has been around for a while, he said, but only discussed in earnest since a board meeting earlier this month.

"It's time that we organize it, concentrate it and consolidate it into one area so we can serve the needs of a district that is increasingly diverse," he said.

In addition to nontraditional programs, there will be emphasis in fine arts instruction and physical fitness, as well as all the core requirements.

Bertoch said he believes the consolidation will save the district more than the $1.4 million presented at Tuesday's board meeting. It would also free up the Central building for other purposes, possibly a new elementary school.

In response to the district spending $3 million to maintain 8,700 empty seats valleywide, a committee of school workers and residents suggested closing several schools to save money.

But earlier last month, the board voted to keep all schools open and change the boundaries of at least 37 schools.

South Salt Lake City Councilman Bill Anderson said the board's action seemed like a reasonable compromise, but he questioned whether funds would be available to carry out the plans.

"If money is so tight that we're cannibalizing each other, then how are they going to find money to bring more programs to the school?" he said.

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com