Lehi schools see decline in students

LEHI — Three Lehi elementary schools had fewer students show up on the first day of school than expected, which at one school resulted in staffing changes.

At Sego Lily Elementary School, two teachers transferred to other schools in the Alpine School District when administrators learned about 50 fewer students were going to attend the school than originally projected. The school now has about 820 students.

After the two teachers left Sego Lily, a second-grade teacher moved to first grade. A fourth-grade teacher moved to fifth grade. A first-second-grade combination class was dissolved three days after school started, principal Rod Tucker said.

Two other elementary schools in Lehi, Meadow and Eagle Crest, also had fewer students than originally projected, Alpine School District Assistant Superintendent Gary Seastrand said.

Staff will not change at either school because they are located near housing development projects that will likely bring young families with elementary-age children to the schools in coming months, Seastrand said.

Enrollments were overestimated at the Lehi schools for three reasons, Seastrand said: Four charter schools are opening in the district's boundaries that will enroll students from the area, the schools' boundaries were redrawn, houses under construction in north Utah County are not yet finished and new families have not yet moved in.

"This year is remarkable given the variables, and it is remarkable how close they came (in accurately estimating enrollments)," Seastrand said.

The two teachers who transferred from Sego Lily left days before school started. One of the teachers was happy to transfer because she wanted to work closer to her home in another city, Tucker said.

Another teacher who transferred from Sego Lily had not received a contract for the 2006-07 school year. Tucker hired her last year with a one-year contract and told her she could stay only if a position was available, he said.

The first-second-grade combination class was dissolved because parents objected to the idea, he said.

Some of Sego Lily's younger students shed tears when they learned they were going to have a different teacher for the school year, Tucker said.

Tucker hopes that next year he can talk with charter schools about enrollments so no schools are unexpectedly scrambling to alter staff.

"I don't want it to be an adversarial situation, us versus them," he said. "I've gone into public education to try to do what's best for kids. ... I want to see all kids learn and wouldn't want to do anything that makes it difficult for students to learn."

Board members of the area's charter schools did not return calls from the Deseret Morning News Tuesday night.

---

E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com