It is a committee made up of approximately 25 people, representing a cross-section of GSD leadership, including PTA and Granite Education Association. The PAC receives and then vets information for boundary studies. The director of Planning & Boundaries chairs this committee and makes recommendations to the GSD Board.

The purpose of this study is to analyze elementary school enrollments in the area designated as ‘Area 5’ and consider options (including boundary adjustments and/or school closures) to enhance educational resources and opportunities and better serve the students attending these schools.

Because this is an elementary-centric study no secondary schools will be considered for closure. However, it is possible that secondary boundary changes or feeder patterns could occur as a by-product of the elementary changes.

The main factors include, but are not limited to:

• Student opportunities for success
• Enrollment and programming
• Contiguous boundaries
• Transportation issues
• Safest walking routes
• Feeder patterns
• Efficiency of district resources
• Fiscal considerations

Granite School District considers a school “small” when there are less than an average of three teachers per grade level at most grades. Some of the challenges we have documented over the years in small schools include, but are not limited to:

• Split grade-level classrooms
• Lack of parental choice to increase student success
• Proven methods of staff collaboration are much less effective, or even non-existent
• Reduced funding per pupil, which impacts the ability to provide extra staffing and program supports.
• Harder to maintain effective school community councils, PTA’s, and other parent volunteer groups.
• Teacher work-load concerns- fewer teachers and staff to fill the same number of committee assignments required for all schools.

Declining student enrollment is an issue throughout the country, not just for Granite School District.

The reason for the decline is first and foremost, a declining birth rate. Other factors include a maturing population, student mobility, and the increase in charter and private school enrollment.

Yes. The Planning & Boundaries Department works closely with local municipalities to monitor new residential development on a regular basis. However, the amount of new residential development is not enough to offset the significant drop in birth rates.

Granite School District has been generally disinclined to sell properties. Granite often chooses to place other district programs and operations in closed schools. The district continues to maintain the building and property to safe community standards. In instances when the facility is too old to be used or maintained, buildings could be demolished, and the property maintained as a park by the city or county while the district retains ownership. In the event the Board does decide to “surplus” (or sell) a property, the local city or municipality has first rights to purchase in accordance with state law.

A baseline for building capacity starts with the number of classrooms multiplied by the average number of students per classroom. However, a building’s true capacity is determined by many variables that are considered on a school-by-school basis.

No. More students mean more teachers/resources. Teachers are assigned on a per-student basis. GSD elementary school teachers are allocated on a student-to-teacher ratio of 27.25 students per teacher. More students equal more teachers, not larger class sizes.

Almost without exception, teachers and staff will still be employed by GSD. Human Resources will work with each employee to determine the specific placement.

We encourage everyone to use our Comments and Feedback form (Google Form) to make suggestions/provide feedback to the PAC and Granite School Board members. Or if you are unable to access the link, email feedback directly to boundaries@graniteschools.org

The school rebuild list, originally created in 2017 as part of the Voter Information Packet and later adjusted in 2019 by the Board of Education, has remained consistent since that update. The district acknowledges the importance of re-evaluating the status of schools on this list, particularly those being considered for closure. This review will be conducted by our internal departments, with additional input from real estate committees and facility-focused working groups and will operate independently of the PAC process. As we approach critical deadlines, we will carefully review each school’s status to align with the broader needs of the district.

While returning an entire grade to an elementary school would obviously increase a schools total enrollment it would not impact the larger goal of increasing the number of teachers per grade level.

Yes, walkable neighborhood schools are still a priority for Granite School District. However, as some schools close and/or boundary adjustments are made, it becomes increasingly difficult to ensure that all walking routes remain on residential streets. Schools are still expected to work closely with parents and school community councils to create a safe walking route plan to identify hazards and the safest possible walking options for all students.