Educational Facilities Planning Procedure

Educational facilities planning is essential to identifying the infrastructure needed to ensure every student's success. The Board has primary responsibility for educational facilities that sustain high-quality programs while effectively responding to changes in student enrollment, educational programming, and school infrastructure. This procedure guides the educational facilities planning process to ensure an efficient and fiscally responsible approach to meeting students' academic needs.

Definitions

1. “Facility Master Plan” means a plan regarding capital projects for the coming fiscal year, including new construction, building replacements or major upgrades, consolidation of existing facilities, and property acquisition for future sites. The plan is updated and approved by the Board of Education annually.
2. “Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC)” means a committee of district stakeholders that studies student population, school boundaries, and school facilities issues and advises the Board regarding solutions to existing or potential issues.

Enrollment, Boundary, and Facility Analysis

1. At the direction of the Board, the FAC shall initiate a study of the current school facilities to:
   • understand current conditions
   • clarify problems, concerns, or issues to be resolved
   • conduct research and gather data, and
   • develop initial findings and recommendations
2. In conducting its study and developing potential solutions, the FAC shall consider factors that include, but are not limited to, the following:
   • Age and condition of buildings;
   • Busing and transportation needs;
   • Contiguous boundaries;
   • Efficiency of property use and disposition;
   • Enrollment patterns and programming;
   • Environmental factors (air quality, geological conditions, flood hazards, hazardous waste, etc.;
   • School feeder patterns;
   • Fiscal considerations;
   • Natural disasters or other extraordinary circumstances (safety, potential for property damage, etc.);
   • Protection of vulnerable or at-risk populations;
   • Residential developments;
   • Safe walking routes;
3. The FAC shall consider consolidation of existing facilities when:
   • A facility is identified on the Facility Master Plan as needing replacement or remodeling.
   • The enrollment of a studied school could be combined with that of neighboring schools.

Initial Report

1. The FAC shall prepare a written initial report outlining its analysis and potential solutions to issues identified. The initial report shall be presented to the Board in a study session or board meeting, allowing the Board to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues being studied and potential solutions.
2. The initial report shall specifically identify any schools being considered for closure or boundary changes, and the FAC shall promptly provide appropriate notice to parents of students enrolled in schools that may be directly affected by the changes, parents of students at other schools that may be indirectly affected by the changes, and officials of the municipality where the schools are located.

Stakeholder Input

1. Based on the initial report, the Superintendent shall direct staff to develop options for selecting sites for new schools, changing school boundaries, closing or consolidating schools, and other facility-related issues.
2. Staff-developed options for community input will reflect a range of approaches and provide a rationale demonstrating the extent to which any option advances any of the factors addressed in the initial report.
3. The FAC shall schedule open houses to discuss the initial report and staff-developed options with impacted school communities and solicit feedback. In addition, the FAC shall formally solicit feedback from patrons by posting the initial report and options on the District’s website, allowing at least thirty (30) days of public comment. The FAC shall gather, analyze, and catalog public comments. A summary of public comments shall be reported to the Board in a study session or board meeting.
4. The FAC shall refine the initial report based on feedback from impacted schools or school community councils, public comment, and the Board’s directions.

Board Action

1. Based on the foregoing, the FAC shall develop a final plan and present it to the Board on a first reading as part of a duly noticed public hearing. The public hearing shall be held in accordance with Utah Code 53G-4-402(21). Subsequent to the public hearing, the Board shall vote on the final plan to approve, reject, or approve with modification.
2. The Board shall consider the final plan on a second reading with any modifications. The Board shall vote to approve or reject the final plan. This vote shall take place no fewer than one hundred twenty (120) days after proper notice has been issued.
3. If rejected, the Board may direct the FAC to include portions of the final plan in the study list to be revisited the following year.

Implementation

1. Unless otherwise indicated by the Board, implementation of a final plan adopted by the Board shall be carried out at the beginning of the following school year. 2. Students whose boundary school changes as a result of implementation of the final plan shall be assigned to schools as follows:
   • Elementary and middle school students are expected to attend the new boundary school at the beginning of the following school year. Students who wish to remain at the school they attended when the change was approved by the Board may apply through the open enrollment process.
   • High school students may opt to complete high school at the school they were attending when the change was approved by the Board. Students opting to complete high school in the former school shall signify an intent to remain by submitting an open enrollment application.
   • Families will be responsible for the students’ transportation to the former school.

Approved by District Administration: 10/24/24

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