Education
Timpanogos School Board to study potential school closures
Staff Writer | Lehi Free Press
The Timpanogos School District (TSD) Board of Education considered a formal proposal to launch public boundary studies and evaluate potential school consolidations and closures during its meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
This pivotal action marks the “Optimize” phase of the district’s comprehensive boundary study, known as MOABS (Mother of All Boundary Studies). The initiative was launched to ensure every TSD school is fully equipped to deliver optimal academic and social opportunities for all students.
The Board emphasizes that the study aims to strengthen schools, optimize district resources, ensure equitable, high-quality academic experiences for all students, while empowering educators to build environments where students thrive.
No final decisions have been made yet. While specific schools will be named for evaluation, the Board stresses that thorough study and community input are required before determining final consolidations. Three junior high schools will be studied for one potential closure, and 10 elementary schools will be studied for three to five closures.
Shifting from traditional models that only notify schools facing almost guaranteed closure, TSD is deliberately naming a broader group of potentially affected schools. This ensures all impacted communities are formally notified and invited to participate in the upcoming 90-day public feedback process.
Potential closures remain strictly secondary to the study’s primary mission: creating robust, high-quality learning environments district-wide, guided by TSD’s core vision, values and robust school criteria.
“In the Timpanogos School District, students will always come first,” said Superintendent Joe Jensen. “I want to reassure our families that the overriding, primary goal of these studies is to make school absolutely awesome for each and every child in our community. This is a focused effort to guarantee that regardless of where your family lives, your child will have access to the school culture, opportunities, and support systems that will allow them to learn to thrive.”
Board President Jen Lyman voiced TSD’s commitment to putting the community first. “We recognize that discussions around school boundaries and consolidations naturally bring anxiety and uncertainty to the families in our district. We want our community to know that a few of us on the board have lived through consolidations and closures. We know how hard it can be and we know how great it can be on the other side. We are fully committed to listening to parents, teachers, families, and others as we evaluate different options and determine what will be best for our kids and our community.”
“As a Board, we pledge to be as transparent and open as we possibly can be throughout
the process of evaluating all the available options to strengthen our schools and the academic opportunities for our children,” shared Board Vice President Sterling Hilton. “Our decisions will be guided by the Robust School Criteria that came out of intensive engagement with the public. Any structural changes we eventually make will be designed to expand opportunities and ensure we can truly cultivate joyful, thriving students in a culture of exceptional care.”
The meeting where the proposal was launched was held on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at the Alpine School District Special Education Office in Lindon. Live-stream and agendas are available at
timpsd.org.
