The Wasatch County School District board on Oct. 30 continued deliberations over proposed boundary changes, with staff presenting October 1 counts and GIS maps that showed mixed middle‑school attendance in the northern JR Smith area and notable school‑choice patterns.

Board members said the data and public feedback have clarified tradeoffs: whether to prioritize intact elementary feeder patterns (scenarios B or C) or to favor a natural, neighborhood boundary near Coyote Parkway (Scenario H) that would reduce disruption for certain neighborhoods. After discussion, a majority of the board signaled support for a modified Scenario H and set a special meeting to vote on the refined plan on Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m.

Why it matters: The board must balance program access and enrollment equity, transportation capacity, and neighborhood cohesion. Staff told the board that moving roughly 130 students in the Sawmill/Center Creek area into Old Mill Elementary would equal "about 5, maybe close to 6 classrooms," which staff said is not feasible in the near term. The maps showed that many students in the JR Smith northern area currently attend Rocky Mountain Middle School while many attend Timpanogos Middle School, and roughly "Approximately 35 are going to Rocky Mountain currently from that area," staff said.

What staff presented: Eric Campbell, director, and other staff used ArcGIS aggregations of middle‑school students by address (October 1 counts) to illustrate neighborhood patterns and choice behavior. Campbell described the Sawmill/Center Creek cohort as "approximately a 130. A 130 students" and said that, on an elementary‑classroom basis, that would be equivalent to five to six classrooms and therefore "not feasible at this time." Staff also showed scenario maps previously labeled B, C, D (the proposed and tabled plan), G (River Road), and H (Coyote Parkway), and ran counts and 2030 projections tied to those lines.

Transportation constraints: District staff (Adam, transportation) explained that the Timpanogos route currently has limited spare capacity and that "we would probably be forced to do another bus" if the boundary moves north to Coyote Ridge, meaning an additional driver and vehicle would be required. Staff said the district had closed the TMS bus to additional school‑choice riders because of capacity.

Board debate and priorities: Board members described two recurring priorities from community input: keeping elementary schools intact and preserving feeder patterns into middle and high school, versus minimizing total disruption and using clear geographic boundaries. Board member Brianne Diedrichsen said she had heard "loud and clear" that neighbors do not want elementary schools split and called feeder‑pattern alignment a priority. Board member Kim Dickerson and others argued that pushing the line to Coyote Parkway (H) follows a "natural boundary" and would correct a prior split in the Cove area they consider a historical mistake.

Equity and capacity questions: Board members raised equity thresholds and asked staff when enrollment imbalance becomes concerning. Staff said a rough guideline is near a 10% gap between paired schools and noted middle‑school numbers are generally more accurate than high‑school forecasts because separate registration patterns affect projections. The board discussed potential program access issues if one high school initially enrolls substantially more students than the other; district staff reiterated a commitment to preserve program access by planning across campuses.

Next steps: Staff will refine Scenario H to include small tweaks discussed during the session (for example, how the Ivory Homes subdivision and nearby spurs should be assigned) and will verify whether the legal process requires reopening a 30‑day hearing. The board scheduled a special meeting for Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. to decide the refined plan. Staff said if the board selects a high‑school boundary now, elementary boundaries can be adjusted later because the district has a December reporting deadline for high‑school boundaries to the Utah high‑school authority (Utah High School League) and no equivalent deadline for elementary changes.

Ending: Board members asked staff to prioritize public communications about transportation options and safe routes to school in any adopted plan. No boundary vote occurred on Oct. 30; the district will return to the board for a formal vote at the Nov. 5 meeting.