Alpine School District appears destined for a 3-way split
Utah's largest school district — the Alpine School District — appears to be heading for a split.
Initial returns late Tuesday on Proposition 11 by voters in several northern Utah County communities — Lehi, American Fork, Highland, Alpine, Cedar Hills and the portion of Draper located within Utah County — signal approval to form a new school district in the region.
As Tuesday night was giving way to Wednesday morning, about 58% of the unofficial vote results pointed in favor of Proposition 11.
Meanwhile, voters on the west end of Utah County were giving a resounding thumbs-up to Proposition 14, calling for a new school district to include the cities of Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Cedar Fort and Fairfield.
Early Wednesday, more than 62% of the vote favored Proposition 14.
With two new districts expected to be formed in Utah County, the four remaining cities in the current Alpine School District — Orem, Vineyard, Lindon and Pleasant Grove — would become a reorganized district by default.
A history-rich school district
Tuesday's vote marked a historic moment for Utah County. The Alpine School District was formed over a century ago and today serves over 84,000 students.
Prior to Tuesday's vote, Proposition 11 proponents argued that creating a new district would offer "significant tax savings" while avoiding school closures, reduced services and strains on employees. A new district in the county's northeast communities, they added, would result in more balanced and responsive school board representation.
Opponents of Proposition 11 meanwhile, countered that splitting the existing Alpine School District would prove detrimental to students — even while unnecessarily dismantling one of the state's highest-performing districts.
A split, they added, would be costly. Keeping the district intact would allow 14 Utah County cities to share the district's expenses while allowing communities to work together and weather changing demographics and economic fluctuations.
The existing Alpine School District, argued opponents, is fully capable of handling challenges such as economic changes and political pressures.
But supporters of the proposition maintained that claims that bigger districts save money "is misleading"; arguing that inefficiencies increase when districts grow too large. Stretching resources across 14 cities "leaves us paying more for fewer benefits."
Ultimately, a majority of voters appear to be supporting Proposition 11 "because they wanted to keep local control of the decisions made by the school district — while keeping our local tax dollars here and having better representation," Cedar Hills Mayor Denise Andersen told the Deseret News following the vote.
A smaller school district won't diminish educational opportunities for its students, assured the mayor.
"We have great parental support for programs — and the new school district will be keen to ensure that it offers our kids all of the programs and opportunities that they have received in the larger district," she said. "We will still be the sixth-largest district in the state."
Assuming the numbers in favor of Proposition 11 hold, the new school district in northeastern Utah County is not expected to be formed until 2027. The new school board, which will be elected next November, will decide on the district's new name.
Western Utah County to have its own school district.
Meanwhile, proponents for Proposition 14 argued that a smaller district in western Utah County would ensure "local control and fair representation" while keeping taxes local and addressing "overcrowded and underserved westside schools."
Proposition 14 opponents warned that a smaller district on Utah County's west side would diminish existing educational opportunities and could lead to educators in local schools leaving for opportunities elsewhere.
After seeing the initial numbers suggesting passage of Proposition 14, Saratoga Springs City Councilman Chris Carn said Tuesday's vote marks a referendum "that a new school district needs to be formed to better serve the students of the western interlocal."
Carn said a future school district in western Utah County would be the 10th largest in Utah. "We're just going from a 4XL district to an XL district — so our students will have plenty of opportunities."
