- Three new Utah County school districts formed from the split of Alpine School District signed a historic resource allocation agreement.
- The agreement ensures employee benefits transfer and allocates student activity funds.
- Final district enrollment numbers will determine unassigned fund distribution percentages.
AMERICAN FORK — The trio of new school districts born from the 2024 decision of Utah County voters to split Alpine School District on Thursday approved a "historic" agreement regarding resource allocation before the new districts open next year.
The agreement follows months of negotiations between the respective boards of Aspen Peaks, Lake Mountain and Timpanogos school districts and "reflects sacrifices and concessions from all sides to directly address the unique needs and challenges each new district will face," Alpine School District said in a statement.
Aspen Peaks School District: Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Highland, Lehi and the Utah County portion of Draper.
Lake Mountain School District: Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Cedar Fort and Fairfield.
Timpanogos School District: Lindon, Orem, Pleasant Grove, and Vineyard.
"The unanimous ratification of this agreement by the new district boards is huge and speaks to the hard work done by really good people," Rob Smith, superintendent of Alpine School District, said in a statement.
While an agreement was reached, Alpine School District will continue to maintain sole responsibility and oversight of all schools and assets until the official transition to the three districts begins on July 1, 2027.
"While negotiations required difficult decisions, all three district teams maintained a mutual respect and dignity that kept us moving forward productively," Joe Jensen, superintendent of Timpanogos School District, said in a statement.
The agreement includes important details for employees, schools and students alike.
Notably, it stipulates that all current Alpine School District employees transitioning to one of the new districts will have their vacation hours and other associated obligations carried over to their new roles. The agreement also locks in post-retirement benefits for qualifying employees, even if they transfer among the three new districts in the future.
Additionally, student activity funds and Alpine Foundation accounts (Alpine School District's nonprofit charity arm that accepts donations for all of the schools and programs in the district) already assigned to a specific school or program will remain with the district where that school is physically located.
Once the respective districts' final student enrollment numbers are finalized in June 2027, all remaining unassigned funds will be divided based on those enrollment percentages.
As it currently sits, the agreed-upon resource distribution percentages are established as follows:
- Aspen Peaks School District: 41.78%
- Lake Mountain School District: 30.16%
- Timpanogos School District: 28.06%
"The real story is how we were able to keep the needs of all students, no matter the district, as our focus," Diane Knight, president of the Aspen Peaks school board, said in a statement. "This was not about winners and losers. This was about creating three strong districts."
