Education
Utah County seeks public comment on new school board member redistricting
Last November, voters in western and northern Utah County voted to leave the 100-year-old Alpine School District and create their own new districts. The monumental change for local education is currently underway with many moving parts. The first, however, is the creation of the school board member districts for their upcoming elections. Utah County is administering the process.
All three new districts will have seven board members, each tasked with hiring a superintendent, creating policies and setting property tax rates for their respective districts.
Earlier this month, Utah County announced the members of advisory committees for each new district. These committees will prepare board member maps for the Utah County Commission’s consideration in March.
On Wednesday, the Utah County Commission announced a portal for members of the public to share their requests and concerns regarding school board member redistricting maps.
“We understand this is a very important issue to many in our community and have made every effort to engage the public throughout the process. This [portal] is yet another tool to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make their voice heard,” said Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran on Friday.
“The state statute establishes clear parameters for the maps. Some people think it’s a ‘free-for-all’ for these committees to draw whatever maps they want, but it isn’t. The committees’ scope is limited, but public comments play an important role in addressing localized issues and preferences like keeping high school clusters together and ensuring cities feel well-represented on future boards,” said Beltran.
The Utah County Commission will likely see the newly created maps in March. The County Commission will adopt the final maps by April 1, 2025. Individuals interested in running for the new school boards will file in early June.
Comments can be sent to the redistricting committee at the following link: https://utahcounty.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8dWLqRH7J3qpiJg
