SALT LAKE CITY — Four elementary schools in Salt Lake City will be closing at the end of this school year after a controversial vote by the school board.
The board members of the Salt Lake City School District voted 4-3 in favor of closing the schools in Tuesday night's meeting. The schools that will close are Hawthorne, M. Lynn Bennion, Mary W. Jackson, and Riley. These four schools were recommended for closure in November by Superintendent Elizabeth Grant after a months-long study.
The district said the four schools will close after this school year ends, and the corresponding boundary adjustments will take effect in the 2024-2025 school year.
The following 14 schools will have their boundaries changed:
- Backman Elementary
- Edison Elementary
- Emerson Elementary
- Ensign Elementary
- Franklin Elementary
- Liberty Elementary
- Mountain View Elementary
- Newman Elementary
- Parkview Elementary
- Rose Park Elementary
- Uintah Elementary
- Wasatch Elementary
- Washington Elementary
- Whittier Elementary
The decision to close schools comes as student enrollment has declined nearly 29% in the last eight years, which is equivalent to a decrease of more than 3,000 students.
Parents and community members from the schools chosen for closure left West High somber Tuesday night.
"We have reiterated throughout this entire process we're not opposed to closing schools. What we said from the beginning is 'You're closing the top-rated blue ribbon school, and the legislative audit told you to replicate top schools,'” said Hawthorne Elementary parent Troy Davis.
During the meeting’s public comment session, parents asked the board to table the decision, citing concerns about the lack of transparency in the process.
"You won't have to make an unsupported generationally significant decision and parents won't have to feel like we were swindled. Tabling would give you a chance to get this right and show the kind of thoughtfulness and oversight we appreciate,” said one parent.
Salt Lake City School District Superintendent Elizabeth Grant affirmed to parents the district followed the G-5 policy, which is the school board policy on school closure and boundary adjustment.
Grant voiced support for moving the school closures forward, saying it puts the district in position to provide the best education to students.
“To have more schools than we need is not good for student learning, is not good for teacher collaboration, and is not good for providing the full support for our students. It's also not financially sound,” Grant said.
As the Salt Lake City School District expects to continue to see enrollment decline, Grant expects more school closures moving forward.
“I hope the district gets it right next time. They didn't get it right this time. It's unfortunate we're the recipients of a not right process,” Davis said.
“We look at that process, we talk with the community about what they want to have as the metrics, but I have not yet heard an alternative that is more fair because it always lands harder on some than others,” Grant said.
The district has already released a preliminary transition plan for impacted students. Last year, the district announced equivalent employment opportunities within the district for staff at schools chosen for closure.
