The Canyons Board of Education decided on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015 to narrow the focus of its efforts to balance the future enrollments at Corner Canyon and Alta high schools.
The Board of Education approved a motion made by Board Vice President Steve Wrigley during a regularly scheduled meeting at the Canyons Administration Building, 9361 S. 300 East. The purpose of Wrigley’s motion is to “slow the growth at Corner Canyon, with as little disruption of students and families currently living within the Corner Canyon boundaries as possible.”
Board of Education President Sherril H. Taylor also noted that Alta High’s enrollment has increased this year. Taylor credited the enrollment growth to Alta’s high-quality programs, including a proposed partnership with the University of Utah, and marching band, which is offered in Canyons District only at Alta High.
The Board’s action followed Superintendent Dr. Jim Briscoe’s in-depth report of the five recommendations made by a Facilities Committee. The committee, made up of parents and principals from all parts of Canyons District, was assembled to give recommendations to the Board of Education on short- and long-term school facility needs districtwide.
Wrigley’s motion, approved 6-1, instructs the Canyons administration to draft a multi-tiered proposal that includes four of the five Facility Committee recommendations. The proposal would be drafted for the Board to consider on second reading, with possible final adoption, at a Tuesday, Oct. 20 meeting. If adopted by the Board of Education, the new boundaries would take effect at the outset of the 2017-2018 school year, giving students, families and schools two full years to prepare. Wrigley’s motion includes the following:
– Moving a section of the District, which is roughly the area west of State Street, north of 9000 South and south of 8400 South, into the Jordan High boundary;
– Moving an area, which is south of 11400 South, west of Lone Peak Parkway and north of 12300 South, into the Alta High boundary, and;
– Moving the area roughly the area south of 12300 South, north of 14600 South and west of I-15 into the Alta High boundary.
Under the approved motion, only these three boundaries would change if the proposal is adopted by the Board. According to Wrigley’s motion, in this proposal, no other areas of the District would be considered for school boundary changes.
The motion also calls for the District to require the District Policy Committee to draft, for the Board’s consideration, a policy that would require schools on moratorium status to verify the residence of its students at the time of registration. The motion, if it gains final approval, also would grant an allowance for students living in the areas mentioned in the proposed boundary changes. Those students would be able to stay at the school where they are currently enrolled, and their younger siblings, who would be entering the ninth-grade, would be granted waivers to attend the same high school as their older brother or sister.
Corner Canyon High is currently the only high school in Canyons District on moratorium status.
