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Utah County Commissioners would be hard-pressed to approve a division of the Alpine School District in view of the negative conclusions reached by an ad hoc committee that spent six-months studying the issue.
The commission must decide in the next couple of weeks whether to support creation of a new district in the Lehi area - the Pioneer School District, as it would be called. Should the commissioners give their nod, voters in the large Alpine district would then determine the fate of the proposed split in November.
Many residents in Lehi and nearby new communities are frustrated, perhaps justifiably, with the size and responsiveness of the Alpine School District. And it’s possible the creation of a smaller district would result in more local control of their public schools. But, as the ad hoc committee learned, it could also result in significantly higher taxes for those in the new district. As well, a split could lead to a host of legal issues and complicated personnel matters that would make any transition extremely messy.
Rather than form a new district amidst so many uncertainties, KSL believes it would be best for local district officials to work diligently with their disgruntled Lehi constituents to deal with their concerns. In our view, splitting the Alpine School District would create more problems than it would resolve.
