Facilities committee flags West Jordan feeder for underenrollment; board favors conservative, incremental approach

The facilities committee asked the board for guidance after presenting five‑year enrollment projections that trigger Policy A13’s watch‑list threshold (a school projected at or below 50% capacity with neighboring schools at or below 65%).

Committee chair Mr. Barnett said the committee has been reviewing maps and forecasts for the West Jordan High feeder and wanted to know how aggressively the board wished staff to pursue consolidation or boundary‑change options. "It costs roughly just under $1,500,000 a year to have an elementary school open," Barnett told the board while outlining financial, curricular and staffing impacts of underenrollment.

Board members discussed a range of responses: aggressive consolidation, incremental closure over time, or creative alternatives (repurposing space, targeted programs to boost enrollment). Several members cautioned against releasing draft maps as‑is because the forecasts can be misinterpreted and cause unnecessary community alarm; others urged transparency and argued capacity data are already publicly available. The board reached informal consensus to direct facilities staff to pursue a conservative, incremental research approach and to prepare public materials that explain forecasting methodology and options before any public release of draft maps.

Staff will return with a menu of options that prioritize incremental steps (boundary adjustments, program consolidation, potential targeted new construction) and with a communications plan to accompany any public release of data.