Murray Metropolis College District proposes boundary adjustments, bond in face of declining enrollment

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MURRAY — Adjustments might be in retailer for the Murray Metropolis College District in mild of a dwindling scholar inhabitants.

During the last 5 years, the district has seen an 11.4% decline in scholar enrollment, main the district’s board of training to launch a plan geared toward taking proactive steps to navigate the altering instructional panorama.

The primary stage of this plan entails a boundary change that will affect Liberty Elementary and Parkside Elementary — two Title I colleges — for the 2024-25 college yr. Title I is a federally funded program that gives supplementary funds to varsities with excessive percentages of scholars from low-income households to assist them meet state tutorial requirements.

The smallest of the varsity districts residing in Salt Lake County, Murray Metropolis College District’s projected scholar enrollment for the 2023-24 college yr was 5,703.

In 2018, the district was residence to six,624 college students and by 2022, that complete shrunk to five,768 — a lower of 856 college students.

Beneath the board’s advice, round 68 college students who’re at the moment enrolled at Parkside can be moved to Liberty subsequent yr. At present, all impacted college students reside close to the northern finish of the district boundary — north of Fireclay Avenue and west of State Road.

The district says this boundary adjustment would develop Liberty Elementary’s enrollment to virtually 300 college students and cut back Parkside Elementary’s to barely over 400 college students. Moreover, the adjustment would necessitate shifting extra assets, together with staffing and funding, to Liberty Elementary to align with per-pupil prices.

“Impacted college students are presently bused to Parkside and can proceed to obtain transportation providers to attend Liberty,” the district stated in a launch.

Together with the boundary adjustment, the board really helpful a bond measure for subsequent November to interchange Riverview Junior Excessive College and make structural adjustments to Murray Excessive College. Doing so would enable the district to maneuver from a junior highschool mannequin to a center college mannequin — which suggests shifting sixth grades to district center colleges and ninth grades to the highschool.

“This advice comes after almost 5 years of facility and scholar inhabitants research, critiques and discussions,” Jaren Cooper, chairman of Murray Board of Training, stated in a press release. “It isn’t a straightforward determination however displays a dedication and responsiveness to optimizing studying circumstances for our Murray college students.”

Cooper added that the most recent board suggestions match into a bigger imaginative and prescient for bettering district buildings and adjusting extra boundaries as soon as the district has moved to a center college mannequin.

“The very fact is, we’ve got some amenities which might be growing older and want to deal with them to make sure we’re managing our property and taxpayer investments responsibly,” Cooper stated.

Because it seems, Murray Metropolis College District is much from the one district within the state that’s having to regulate boundaries and take different measures within the face of declining scholar enrollment.

Whereas Utah’s inhabitants steadily will increase, a few of the state’s largest college districts are dropping college students. However why?

At the least a part of the reply could lie in various college choices — past the realm of the districts. One other piece of the puzzle entails declining delivery charges and skyrocketing housing costs.

“I recognize the board’s intensive and considerate strategy that led to those suggestions,” stated Jennifer Covington, Murray Metropolis College District superintendent. “Our dedication is to offer the absolute best training for each scholar in our district. This proposal and their imaginative and prescient for the longer term replicate that, guaranteeing our colleges are appropriately sized, well-equipped, and able to assembly the evolving wants of our group. I consider this fosters an atmosphere the place college students can thrive academically, socially and emotionally.”

The district will likely be holding two separate public informational conferences for group members and educators to be taught extra concerning the suggestions and the broader imaginative and prescient for the district and the district says extra data concerning these conferences will likely be made out there on its web site within the coming weeks.

There can even be alternatives for the general public to offer feedback on the suggestions on the district’s upcoming board conferences on Feb. 18, March 14 and April 11.

The board is ready to vote on the primary part of suggestions on April 18.

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