Granite closures may be revisited

First, the Granite Board of Education voted to close no schools. Then, it took its final vote to close Canyon Rim and Meadow Moor elementaries, and reorganize Granite High into an alternative school, with smaller learning communities and a strong career emphasis.

Now, the board is poised to reconsider that last decision.

Three board members — Judy Weeks, Carole Cannon and Connie Burgess — requested a "motion to reconsider" agenda item for Tuesday's meeting, Granite District reported Friday. The board will discuss the motion at 7 p.m. at the Granite Education Center, 2500 S. State.

Residents also will be able to sign up to speak on the matter — typically excluded after the board has taken a final vote on an issue, the district reports.

But it's uncertain whether anything will change.

By law, the board must have five of its seven members favor reconsidering its Nov. 29 action.

Even if that happens, it's uncertain whether anyone will ask to no longer close the two schools, or leave Granite High as is.

"I just felt that we needed to . . . be open-minded, and I don't want any of the constituents to think we aren't listening to them," Weeks said. "I don't know that I will (suggest keeping the two schools open). I just felt we at least ought to put it on the agenda."

Cannon, the staunchest supporter on the board of keeping all schools open, says she plans only to ask that the board improve on its current stand.

Keeping schools open "is something that could come up, but I don't think I'm going to propose that," Cannon said. "I think we need to visit the cost of busing, the cost of the transportation, and whether these are the right boundaries for these two schools. . . . I wanted to have time to study these properly because they were brought up so late in the (last) meeting."

Burgess did not return a phone message seeking comment midday Friday.

Whatever the board decides Tuesday would be final, Board President Patricia Sandstrom said.

"What the public needs to understand is, if it's open again, everything is open again," Sandstrom said. "It's like the (Nov.) 29th (vote) never happened."

The school board's action is rooted in a spring report showing 8,700 empty seats costing $3 million to maintain. A district options committee of parents and school workers proposed closing several schools and realigning boundaries to maximize efficiency, improve educational offerings districtwide and keep students together from elementary through high school.

Meanwhile, the board encountered tremendous public pressure from groups wanting to preserve neighborhood schools, those fighting to keep their own schools open, and those wanting to close some schools to save money.