[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6260431,"mediaKeyId","3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd","parentId",3131611,"title","Granite superintendent outlines boundary study as enrollment falls; parent committee to weigh school-closure options","audioSeconds",4266,"startMs",306000,"endMs",4572000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd&start=306&end=4572","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd/thumbnail_306000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6260431/Utah/Granite-superintendent-outlines-boundary-study-as-enrollment-falls-parent-committee-to-weigh-school-closure-options","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260431-7c941f9300f2535363a08269495580f0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770413480&Signature=Z2ydOZ~KZYxQjOhJIx-lB~bjyMery10p6FnURS9FHmAZVeV2Z7LvEa14SaEIQ0BLwHWGfPQozBGZBagZs5oT-4g5bP34SdY1JBac8kLS73eOjcS2vurvhtSOeW4Q2o5nRGRsw21EjlYs1sSbk4UevI-1CUTagmTCt0Ye5in5QcJODsoH8hEvsgJXB0NWiuHlTdcQf9AbqJmy5iahcZPdkAFfjp4yMoZkCokxD9z6e4OsiHChqZ6VZH5prHUjZZUdYz6009SAkdQYUy45rAYRjztGZdzl5ov~tJe9~pnW9ZnDUkLIugZlbJ42-xRy6LJNgjJJiXTctgd30~ejNI-Mjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-26T12:47:51Z","article","Superintendent Ben Morrisley of Granite School District said declining enrollment and high local housing costs have prompted a yearlong boundary and population study that could narrow the district’s list of schools under consideration for closure.

At a town-hall meeting, Morrisley said the district contracted an independent demographer, MGT, and “we've received over 400 comments thus far” on the study. He said the district will form a parent-and-teacher committee in June to develop recommendations for the board, with formal board action not expected until at least November or December; any school closures would be implemented the following fall.

Why it matters: Granite’s enrollment has fallen sharply from a peak of about 78,000 students in the 1990s to roughly 53,000 students projected for next year, Morrisley said, a drop he attributed to lower birth rates and housing costs that push young families to other counties. He described the decline as “about 2 to 3,000 students every year.” That erosion has left some neighborhood schools with only a few dozen students living inside their boundaries, raising questions about class-size equity and the district’s use of facilities.

Morrisley described the district’s allocation rule for classroom staffing: the district divides a school’s total elementary enrollment by 27.25 to determine teacher allotment (28.25 for secondary). He used Oak Bridal Elementary as an example where next year’s allocation would be “8 and a half teachers,” which can lead to split classrooms and fewer grade-level teacher options for families. “A school like…Oak Bridal…was allocated for next year because of its projection 8 and a half teachers,” he said.

The study process and timing: The district opened the boundary study in February and posted materials, including the MGT 40-page demographic report, on graniteschools.org. Morrisley said MGT would not project beyond five years and that the next step is to “converge a parent and teacher committee that will then inform decision making for the district.” He told attendees the committee will include two parents and a teacher from each community. After June’s narrowing of options, the district will produce proposals in the fall for public comment; the board aims for a November–December decision and implementation in the 2026–27 school year if closures are adopted.

Open enrollment and program priorities: Morrisley noted open-enrollment rules under Utah law allow students to attend non‑neighborhood schools when capacity exists. He said some schools draw substantial shares of students from outside their boundaries — “Skyline High School attracts over a thousand of its student population from outside” and Wasatch Junior is “about 40% open enrollment.” That dynamic affects neighborhood-school counts and the district’s closure calculus. The superintendent said the district intends to leave capacity in receiving schools so families who want special permits can continue to apply.

Use of closed-school properties: Residents asked what happens to closed-school land. Morrisley said state law requires the district to convey surplus property at fair market value and gives the local municipality a first right of refusal. He described past attempts by South Salt Lake to purchase Granite High property and said some closed sites have been leased or transferred under long-term agreements — for example, Spring Lane’s building will be demolished and converted to a park under a long-term lease with the city. He also acknowledged past sales the district now regards as mistakes, citing a sale to a charter operator decades earlier.

Community impacts and next steps: Morrisley emphasized the district’s intent to manage transitions and help families. He said, when closures occur, the district holds welcome events and open houses for receiving schools to ease transitions. He repeated that the study is community-driven and that parents will have a central role in shaping recommendations.

Ending: The superintendent invited residents to continue providing input online and said he will post his contact information for follow-up conversations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town Hall Meeting with Granite Superintendent and Board of Education - Olympus High - 4/24/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Superintendent Ben Morrisley said Granite’s enrollment decline and a new boundary study could narrow the district’s list of neighborhood schools under consideration for closure and that parents will help shape recommendations.","taxTitle","Granite School District, Utah School Boards, Utah","taxId",65942,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6260418,"Granite discusses phone ban, Chromebook limits and student privacy as district tightens device rules",396,4491000,4887000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd&start=4491&end=4887","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd/thumbnail_4491000.jpg","/articles/6260418/Utah/Granite-discusses-phone-ban-Chromebook-limits-and-student-privacy-as-district-tightens-device-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260418-8e2a49521f97df8dcd6cf72589e60362/orig.mp4?Expires=1770413480&Signature=fvD6-2--7~qUNXMlwuH7BzcO1nfZubjOa-3LlLBySI9RmmKUlLCiLWAwATwRBFY7wsJ146LfzyeIL6IQl8i~4LgdFk5SNvVuXIoz~fB~rADxUpBDSzTSBdJ9GuwiS7bklUQldACA4BjCqj~MnSEqd5TfOqHSfs~g4yGF1NrThqNYMzPQgGBJl61kIni1QzkiEn-IA-JEVtWQL6BLk6w9cMmK37uRvBpfWE3zfqP~CnA5qijP3H0tKS2uO4f3Q~eIpRWoby2XJTFxBYxNi7nmiOTHVFkAZ7lqNdbrC6ut7yb43xHLSnQ4v7t0wAx4OHjWhkN7Ok428o46UjGV396w8A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Granite School District staff described policy changes and proposals intended to reduce noninstructional device use, sharpen Chromebook oversight and protect student privacy.

Phone policy: The superintendent and board members said the district implemented a phone ban (designed to limit classroom phone use), noting board and teacher support. Morrisley said teachers pressed the board for a change: “our teachers came to the board and said, we can't take it anymore, and the board responded.” The district said it will continue to monitor effects and adjust policies if necessary.

Chromebook and instructional use: District principals and the superintendent said teachers have scaled back routine Chromebook use since the pandemic and now aim to treat technology as a targeted instructional tool rather than an all-day replacement. Morrisley said the board is considering a policy to provide philosophical guidance on how Chromebooks should be used and that at junior-high and elementary levels the district is moving away from a universal one-to-one take-home model in favor of teacher-managed in-class devices when possible.

Privacy and content restrictions: The district said it recently restricted direct access to YouTube and other sites from school-managed Chromebooks after concerns about student data privacy when content is hosted by third-party platforms. The superintendent said Google raised data-privacy concerns that led the district to narrow access so teachers can still embed content within learning platforms but students cannot browse YouTube directly.

Testing and digital transitions: Officials noted that some standardized tests and college-admissions tests now require digital administration, and principals described efforts to prepare students for digital test formats while keeping day-to-day device use appropriate to age and pedagogy.

Ending: District leaders said device rules will continue to evolve and the board will provide policy guidance; they urged families to watch for communications about how policies will affect classroom and take-home device access.","Superintendent Ben Morrisley and district principals described recent steps to limit student phone use and to tighten Chromebook access. Officials said the board supported a phone ban, educators largely backed the change, and the district has restricted access to some online services after data-privacy concerns.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6260422,"Granite says state safety bills will require armed security in elementary schools; district flags costs and staffing concerns",106,5415000,5521000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd&start=5415&end=5521","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd/thumbnail_5415000.jpg","/articles/6260422/Utah/Granite-says-state-safety-bills-will-require-armed-security-in-elementary-schools-district-flags-costs-and-staffing-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260422-acbd6f9a732a18f364bc4fbf3f41bbd9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770413480&Signature=iGmoWVaw-w2ck2uJsnUuf~aEXei5DQRra2g9QGrdjS191cXJWy7SciCN3wNUVDqYipIExNhci5yUNZ9dwHkJ9S9Z9neFmnqUM57~NM-JKY5nsOI05mYXu0NO5CvBgVcQCcVNDoMy2Hx-j-uxvIB02LDC-Hxc5CSPKXCDoe2V0ZpNIuoww1ABd2c~kCfAwZyML8GACquXuqbSiH7pH9ebdcvM1mDCen4LKb4pVnUv04p0C3HaBEFuRxk9C4HvKAZfpPrUSJjnZ0Ex3yU4oFN1W1sDQlMmUkhY7m2ffneFkvq~H9DkqrUzPu87EUyjZ8MzHa0JT7N5wRSGuKdESxsNnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Ben Morrisley told attendees that recent school-safety legislation requires armed security in every public school and that implementing that mandate will be costly and operationally complex for Granite School District.

What the law requires and options: Morrisley said the statutes (discussed as HB 84 and HB 40 in the meeting) require armed security coverage but do not mandate a single vendor or model. He said those armed positions could be sworn police officers, contracted security or participants in the state’s Guardian program — a program that provides a stipend for non‑teaching employees (for example janitors or secretaries) who complete training and a mental-health evaluation to carry a weapon.

Limits and costs: Morrisley said the Guardian program applies only for schools with 350 students or fewer; in Granite’s case, he said only about 20 of 87 schools would qualify. He told the meeting the district expects to pay stipends (the superintendent cited a figure of roughly $5,000 per guardian) and estimated about $2.5 million in district costs associated with stipend funding in one slide, while reminding attendees the statewide implementation could cost more than a billion dollars in aggregate. He said the district is still clarifying final vendor costs and the long-term funding picture.

Recruiting and staffing trade-offs: Morrisley said the requirement creates a personnel trade-off: the savings or staff shifts needed to pay for security stipends and contracts could make the district less attractive to prospective teachers. “The type of people who go into education are not the type of people who want to use a gun to protect their children,” he said, stressing concerns that new security duties could affect recruitment.

Response times and SROs: He also noted Granite’s own police resources and partnerships: the district’s internal patrols and allied police agencies yield an average response time of roughly 2 to 2.5 minutes to any district school, he said. For secondary schools the district regularly partners with allied police and the district police department, but the new law’s elementary requirement — dozens of smaller schools — is the implementation challenge.

Ending: The superintendent said the district is promoting the guardian program where feasible and will continue to refine cost estimates; he warned that the safety mandates are an added budget pressure in an already constrained fiscal year.","Superintendent Ben Morrisley described state school-safety legislation that requires armed security in every school and outlined the district's interpretation of options (police, contracted security or state 'guardian' stipends). He said the guardian stipend is limited to smaller schools and estimated local ongoing costs and staffing trade-offs.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6260427,"Granite superintendent warns legislative changes, vouchers and mandate shifts will squeeze district budget",1542,1314000,2856000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd&start=1314&end=2856","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3131611-02c97ccd8d29013bc7d4fe587f965ddd/thumbnail_1314000.jpg","/articles/6260427/Utah/Granite-superintendent-warns-legislative-changes-vouchers-and-mandate-shifts-will-squeeze-district-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260427-c67e1bef813e491bb43c621a3dddcaca/orig.mp4?Expires=1770413480&Signature=nUXGIwMgk4G-yU3zXGTLrg-rPHHKOsMXlxN6PWxibIlxsG7Unny9GEzdABF2YMBqu4~XcumEdMMJ2kHSsEFWrbQlb~dXfXTc2c8kx2Ned6fyHN1ySaqnY3qVNfL3ydIUSAWmswZOdCJtR3yfr0lP1zVnvlGEPMP8hZL6cajLmDoW-PkL6k30AcN0sh7kzJRsaoc0gEIWASq9ggy8T1zCXgtpjzUtoYfwn3xBd04ed-pCf1en0Kb-CK4gX7TI0H8XqHvnKbPhWIDjGcCjBBcg4zvGQ4jCarAI8MQScwVUtbQtR3RpFQMNS7GDdJuyABQ4QVHuMe5UUewp2vhx0jCQrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Ben Morrisley told residents that recent state legislation and program changes are creating a net budgetary strain on Granite School District despite a 4% statewide increase to the weighted pupil unit (WPU).

Morrisley said the 4% WPU increase translates to roughly $13.5 million for the district on an $850 million budget but cautioned that several legislative actions reduce or reallocate other funding streams and create new unfunded requirements. He singled out a cut of about $2.5 million that removed “pro staff” money used to pay experienced or highly credentialed teachers and redirected those dollars into a flexible allocation available to charter schools and other programs. He also said vouchers (HB 215, enacted in 2023) now total about $100 million statewide and “have 0 accountability,” in his words.

The superintendent listed additional impacts: the state eliminated some previously matched funding for libraries and nurses; lawmakers required the district to eliminate school fees but supplied only one-time money to do so; and other statutory changes affecting the local levy were estimated by the district to reduce revenue further (Morrisley cited a district estimate that a portion of recent law could cost the district roughly $15 million over three years). He told the meeting that when aggregated these shifts leave the district at a net negative several percentage points despite the nominal WPU increase.

Collective bargaining and pending referendum: Morrisley also addressed HB 267, a bill he described as banning collective bargaining by government entities. He said union and allied groups gathered more than 300,000 signatures toward a referendum that could pause implementation until a public vote in 2026 if verified. He described ongoing bargaining this year “as if the law was still in place” and said the district chose to continue negotiating with the association in good faith while the signature challenge proceeds.

Budget process and next steps: The superintendent said the district is finalizing budget numbers and will hold a budget luncheon with legislators and elected officials. Morrisley encouraged constituents to contact legislators about how earmarked funds and one-time grants differ from ongoing WPU revenue.

Ending: Morrisley urged families and taxpayers to follow posted budget materials and to raise concerns with legislators; he said the district will seek to protect classroom spending as it balances new mandates and revenue changes.","Superintendent Ben Morrisley said a 4% weighted-pupil-unit increase from the state equals about $13.5 million for Granite but is largely offset by other legislative changes, one-time grants and new unfunded mandates. He flagged voucher expansion, cuts to pro‑staff money and reduced revenues as drivers of a multi‑percent funding gap.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Granite superintendent outlines boundary study as enrollment falls; parent committee to weigh school-closure options

Granite discusses phone ban, Chromebook limits and student privacy as district tightens device rules

Granite says state safety bills will require armed security in elementary schools; district flags costs and staffing concerns

Granite superintendent warns legislative changes, vouchers and mandate shifts will squeeze district budget