Granite schools left reeling

Tears, frustration and protests at one school, and quiet sadness at the other. That was the reaction Wednesday to the Granite Board of Education's vote to close Meadow Moor and Canyon Rim elementaries and reorganize Granite High School to save district dollars.

The board Tuesday night reversed an earlier decision to close no schools. That had parents, teachers and students at the schools deal with the unexpected decision Wednesday through open discussions, endless questioning and a community rally.

"I am shocked, heartbroken, I am just devastated. This does not make any sense," said Tammy Hemmert, a sixth-grade teacher who has taught 21 years at the Meadow Moor. "It feels arbitrary. It feels like we are being punished. But what have we done but turn out great kids with great scores in a great community year after year?"

Canyon Rim leaders said that the decision was a bit of a surprise after last month's vote to close no schools, but since they were on the closure list of the three options they were more prepared for the blow.

"It was a sad day for the people here in the community . . . it was a really tough decision and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to make it," said Sally Sanders, Canyon Rim principal. "This will be the school's 51st year, and we are going to make it the best year ever and make the most of every moment we have left."

But Meadow Moor is not going down without a fight.

Along with Wednesday's protest, members of a parent committee contacted board members to set up a meeting and ask them to reconsider.

Parents and teachers at the school say the board did not fully consider the decision, and because of Meadow Moor's high test scores, strong parental involvement, earthquake safe facility and safe location it should not have gotten the ax.

Board member Hank Bertoch said the chance of reversal is slim but not impossible.

No dates have been set for the talks, but the group hopes to meet with board members within the next week.

"We would like board members to reconsider -- we think they made the wrong decisions for the wrong reasons at the wrong time," Leslie Chatelain, former PTA president at Meadow Moor.

Chatelain said the school is one of only two schools in the area that don't require a rebuild. It is seismically sound, handicapped- accessible with an ADA approval.

"Out of all the schools in the area they picked the best building in the safest location to close at the last minute in a bunch of confusion -- it just isn't right," said parent Rebecca Cowden.

Granite spokesman Randy Ripplingler said the district's next step is to notify the parents at the closing elementary schools and Granite High.

The process of ferreting out how the new Granite High will function has yet to start.

Since the school will be 10th to 12th grade, ninth-graders will attend Granite Park Junior High School starting next fall. Students in the area can either continue to attend Granite or transfer to their new high school, either Olympus, Cottonwood, Granger or Skyline.

Granite's enrollment was at 1,021 in 2004, and 900 of those students lived within the school's boundaries. Some 28 percent of high-schoolers in the area already opt to attend a different school.

Bertoch said under its new mission as a nontraditional school, Granite High School will consolidate existing programs such as the teen parent program and alternative programs currently housed at Central High School. It will also incorporate new programs such as one to allow new English language students to adapt before moving on to traditional high schools.

Bertoch said he'd like to see 1,000 to 1,200 students in 10th to 12th grade use the school. The idea of refocusing Granite has been around for a while, he said, but only discussed in earnest since a board meeting earlier this month.

"It's time that we organize it, concentrate it and consolidate it into one area so we can serve the needs of a district that is increasingly diverse," he said.

In addition to nontraditional programs, there will be emphasis in fine arts instruction and physical fitness, as well as all the core requirements.

Bertoch said he believes the consolidation will save the district more than the $1.4 million presented at Tuesday's board meeting. It would also free up the Central building for other purposes, possibly a new elementary school.

In response to the district spending $3 million to maintain 8,700 empty seats valleywide, a committee of school workers and residents suggested closing several schools to save money.

But earlier last month, the board voted to keep all schools open and change the boundaries of at least 37 schools.

South Salt Lake City Councilman Bill Anderson said the board's action seemed like a reasonable compromise, but he questioned whether funds would be available to carry out the plans.

"If money is so tight that we're cannibalizing each other, then how are they going to find money to bring more programs to the school?" he said.