Officials pursuing Granite-split study

Holladay and Cottonwood Heights have both made headway in studying the possibility of splitting Granite School District and creating a locally controlled small district, but South Salt Lake thinks the issue may be dead.

An area of Murray, which is outside the Murray School District and in Granite, is proving problematic. If South Salt Lake, Holladay and Cottonwood Heights were to combine populations and form a smaller district, it would landlock the area of Murray that includes Cottonwood High School, and such landlocking is prohibited by a new law.

The only way the cities could work around the problem with that area of Murray is if Granite agrees on annexation, said Bill Anderson, South Salt Lake Council chair.

"I don't know if Granite would be willing to let that piece go, especially if they knew it was a linchpin," Anderson said.

All three cities had at least one of their city schools closed last year by Granite because of declining school-age populations.

After the district last year threatened closure of Granite High, South Salt Lake's only traditional high school, the city of 22,000 became a leader in helping to push along a bill to allow cities to form their own school districts. HB77, which passed during the 2006 legislative session, allows cities to create the districts if they do a feasibility study and allow residents to vote on the matter.

The South Salt Lake Council was going to vote two weeks ago on whether to do a feasibility study with Holladay and unincorporated parts of the county. But they tabled the issue because the district boundaries were problematic.

"I'm not hopeful there's going to be a possible resolution to the issue," Anderson said. "We certainly are frustrated."

However, Holladay Mayor Dennis Webb said he thinks an agreement between the local governments will be back before South Salt Lake's council. Last Thursday, Holladay unanimously approved its own resolution, expressing intent to explore a study with South Salt Lake, unincorporated areas of the county and other interested entities.

"This is of great public interest and has been initiated in much respect because of that public interest," Webb said.

Meanwhile, Cottonwood Heights passed a resolution unanimously at a recent city council meeting to begin a study for their city alone.

"We are not advocating or promoting the formation of any small school district," Cottonwood Heights Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore said. "We don't want to be in a defensive posture should small school districts start forming around us."

Mayor Cullimore has met personally with the Jordan and Granite School District superintendents. Cottonwood Heights is in a unusual situation because the young city is split between the two districts.