The Inevitable Split

On March 23, 2021, Mr. Rob Smith, ASD current Business Administrator, addressed the Alpine School District Board of Education members. Rob expressed to the board members his opinion as to the conditions that would justify a split of the Alpine School District. Those conditions were:

  1. Declining student test scores and “students performing at lower levels due to the district’s size.”

  2. “District’s financial strength is declining” for funding necessary to meet student learning and teacher instruction needs, as well as provide school facilities necessary for student safety and growth.

  3. ASD “public engagement is declining” and with lowered support.

  4. “The issue of equity, and if students in different zip codes are getting different experiences that aren’t able to be solved” as stated by ASD school member Julie King.

Lehi Free Press quotes ASD Board Members, “A split is inevitable, members of the Alpine School District Board of Education said Sept. 14. “I think that with the district growing as rapidly as it is, I think it is coming, but I don’t know when,” Amber Bonner, a member of the board, said during a study session discussion on the issue.

After many years of discussion and 4 feasibility studies that show Orem is capable of supporting it’s own school district, the real question is - Why delay? How much more is Orem willing to give away before nothing is left to fix Orem Schools? Truth is, there has never been a better opportunity to stand up for Orem’s school needs than right now.

Vote YES for Prop 2!

For decades a split from Alpine School District has been talked about. A July 21, 2002 Deseret News report stated, "Why should the state pay the salaries of people who never interact with students when they could just break the district up into several smaller districts? By doing so the number of people needed to run the districts would go down and the amount of money actually reaching schools would go up."

KSL News gives a great article about the history of Alpine School District residents desire to split.

On August 2, 2022 Orem City Council members gave a 4-3 vote in favor of giving the Orem citizens the opportunity to vote for an Orem School District for the Nov. 2022 Ballot. Orem City residents now have what they have desired, for over 2 decades, to vote for an Orem School District.

See The Facts:

Declining Test Scores

Utah State School Board Websites:

Alpine School District Website

Inadequate $$ To Meet Student and Teacher Needs

  • Pulling programs at North Ridge, Bonneville and Canyon View – yet these programs are available at other schools.

  • Pay half out of SCC funds for programs. See minutes from meetings.

  • Students transfer to the schools that can provide them with the programs that they’re interested in and have the funding to support.    

Diminished Local Representation

  • Orem went from 3 representatives to 2 representatives.

  • Orem does not have the opportunity to influence at the district level.

  • Currently 7 board members represent 85,000 students in ASD.

  1. 85,000 per 7 members = over 12,000 students per board member.

  2. 7 Board Member represent 14 Cities in Alpine School District.

  3. If Orem becomes its own school district with roughly 15,000 students, 7 members would represent those 15,000 students in 1 City.

Unequal Educational Opportunities

Julie King states: “The issue of equity, and if students in different zip codes are getting different experiences that aren’t able to be solved.” 

Programs are available at certain schools in ASD but not all schools. Pulling programs at North Ridge, Bonneville and Canyon View is merely an example of students having to find those programs outside of their school boundaries. Therefore, students in different zip codes are getting different educational experiences.

US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Complaints that were not solved at the School level, District level, or State level and are currently being investigated by a Federal Entity.

Resource links:

Alpine Board Meetings

Board meeting recordings and notes can be found in 3 locations:

1.   ASD Website, Board Meeting Archives:

2.   Utah Public Notice 

3.   YouTube

Historical News Reports And Links

Jul 21, 2002 – Deseret News

April 29, 2004 - BYU News

Jun 17, 2004 – Deseret News

July 28, 2004 – Utah County Commissioners Meeting Minutes

May 10, 2006 - KSL News

May 16, 2006 - Deseret News

Jun 8, 2006 – Deseret News

Aug 23, 2006 – Deseret News

Nov 6, 2006 – Deseret News

Aug 3, 2012 – Youtube Request

Sept 18, 2016 – Daily Herald

Dec 13, 2017 - Salt Lake Tribune

Sept 21, 2021 - Lehi Free Press

Feb 8, 2022 - Daily Herald

July 12, 2022 - Fox 13 News

July 14, 2022 - KSL News

Aug 2, 2022 - KSL News, KUTV, Fox 13 News