Group aims to split big school districts

A grass-roots citizens group that wants to take its fight for smaller school districts to the Legislature started figuring out how to do so last week.

Between now and the start of the annual legislative session in mid-January, the Committee for Small Districts wants to get something on the table to make it easier to split larger districts such as Granite School District into smaller, more city-specific groups. A group of West Valley residents and some city leaders have already expressed interest in separating from Granite School District to form a new district for the west-side city.

School districts are now allowed to split, but the request to do so must come either from the school board or through a lengthy resident petition process. The two options leave little room to actually split a district such as Granite with its roughly 69,000 students, resident Laura Pinnock said.

The current law also does not guarantee any share of assets with a start-up district, leaving the new entity facing costs of new buildings, buses and materials, she said.

"It comes down to representation," Pinnock said. "You'll have more local control of your schools."

Rep. David Cox, R-Lehi, who was invited to speak to group members and who for years has pushed for legislation to make splits easier, said he is considering a number of options this session, including legislation to cap a district's student population at 30,000 students. Once a district reaches that level, he said, the district would have to be split.

That threshold is three times higher than his ideal size of a district — 10,000 students — but he's willing to make a compromise to try to set a definite limit.

Cox, who teaches at Alpine's Sego Lily Elementary and who sponsored a bill that was tabled in the final days this past session, said reducing district size will translate to smaller schools and smaller classrooms throughout Salt Lake County. It would also stop what he called the trend of closing "decent schools and opening mega schools."

The group selected members Thursday to determine exactly what amendments to public school regulations or possible new legislation are needed. Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, also invited to address the group, warned members not to get their hopes too high for the upcoming session.

There are still a lot of unknowns about splitting districts that make district administrators and teachers nervous, Moss said, including how to reassign teaching jobs and redistribute a district's bond funds.

"There is not an easy fix," Moss said. "I don't think it can be done this session. It takes time to inform people, to allay their fears."

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