Voters will decide in November whether to split the Alpine School District

Lehi, Utah – At their meeting on Tuesday, the six city councils located around Utah County unanimously decided to allow voters to decide in November whether or not to split the Alpine School District.

The city councils of Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Draper, Highland, and Lehi all decided to give the people of the area the final say on the formation of a new school system, which is currently known as the Central School system.

Hundreds of locals took part in a public comment period after council members requested opinions from the public over the possible division of the districts.

According to a press release, the councils were presented with “overwhelmingly positive feedback from voters who want to decide for themselves about whether the establishment of a new school district would enhance decision making, more fairly allocate resources, offer smaller classroom sizes and lessen the need to raise taxes.”

The councils also decided unanimously in April 2024 to research the possibility of forming a new district and found that doing so might not require as much revenue rise as remaining in the Alpine School District.

Highland City Mayor Kurt Ostler stated, “The opportunity to create a new school district is unique and doesn’t come around very often.” “This choice impacts all individuals, regardless of whether they have a child in the district or not. I urge the general population to become informed, interact with us, and cast a ballot.

With almost 84,000 pupils, the Alpine School District currently holds the title of largest school district in the Beehive State. Should voters approve the split, officials stated that the Central School District would remain one of the largest districts in the state.

The new school board would take some time to function and would decide on the district’s ultimate name, even though the division of the districts will be on the ballot in November 2024.

The new school board would not be expected to begin operations in July 2027; instead, elections would not occur until November 2025, and board members would not take office until January 2026.