With two new elementary schools scheduled to open in the fall and winter of 2017, the Tooele County School District is looking at boundary changes for the 2017-18 school year.
Old Mill Elementary, in Stansbury Park north of state Route 138, will open in the fall of 2017. The new building for Sterling Elementary, on the site of former East Elementary in Tooele City, is expected to be ready for students in the winter of 2017.
A boundary review committee, composed of school staff and parents, has been looking at boundary changes. The committee will present a report on its progress to the Tooele County School Board at the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, according JoAn Coon, TCSD Elementary Education Director.
“No changes have been determined yet,” Coon said. “The boundary committee is still in the process of making a recommendation to the board.”
The committee’s charge includes recommending boundaries to populate the new Old Mill Elementary with students as well as reviewing boundaries for elementary schools in the northern end of Tooele Valley to equalize enrollment once the new schools open while leaving room for anticipated growth, according to Coon.
“Criteria used by the committee to determine boundary options include capacity of the school, neighborhood proximity to schools, minimizing future transitions for students, and safety of students,” Coon said.
The boundary review process has been complex as the boundary committee considered the impact of boundary changes on multiple neighborhoods within communities while trying to determine the best boundary for the whole community, according to Coon.
Parent representatives on the boundary committee have been encouraged to share boundary options with school community councils and PTAs, she said.
The boundary committee consists of a principal and parent representative from Middle Canyon, Overlake, Rose Springs, Stansbury Park and Sterling Elementary schools. The principal for Old Mill Elementary, along with a parent from the Benson Gristmill area, are also part of the committee.
The boundary committee also includes a member of the school board, a representative of the Tooele Education Association, and district personnel from faculties, transportation, and student information departments serving as technical advisors.
According to the committee’s timeline, following the report on the committee’s draft boundary proposals at next Tuesday’s meeting, a public hearing will be held in March to review the proposals and receive feedback. In April the boundary committee will forward a final recommendation to the superintendent.
“We welcome community input and suggestions,” Coon said.
The school board’s business meeting next Tuesday begins at 7 p.m. It will be held at the school district’s office at 92 S. Lodestone Way in the Ninigret Industrial Depot in Tooele City.