Frustrated by what they consider a lack of representation and alarmed by the potential closing of local elementary schools, a group of parents wants to split from Granite School District to form a district that would represent

students in Millcreek, Holladay and South Salt Lake. 

Millcreek resident Taylor Davis has helped spearhead the effort. His children attend Rosecrest Elementary, which has been targeted for potential closure. Davis likes the idea of a smaller district, similar to the Murray School District, where board members live in the area and parents have more impact on decision-making.

“I started digging in and looking at all the districts in the state and the way things are done,” Davis said. “I came to realize pretty quickly that we have one representative, Julie Jackson. She’s great. I’ve met with her before, but she covers 16 schools, which is more than the entire Murray School District. So when a decision is being made, there’s not a board member who lives in Millcreek or South Salt Lake.”

Parents are asking elected officials from the three cities to conduct a feasibility study to determine if creating a new school district is realistic. They want to know if the district could be self-sustaining, how it would affect taxes and how funding would be redistributed. 

During Millcreek and Holladay City Council meetings this spring, parents said the new district could cater programs to the direct needs of students on the east side of Granite School District and felt the current district was too big to effectively oversee the nearly 60,000 students enrolled. The proposed new district would include 25 schools and about 15,000 students. 

Mayor Jeff Silvestrini said he can’t imagine the three city councils would agree to hold an election for the study by November 2025, as more information, public feedback and data are still being gathered.

Silvestrini recalled the difficult experience of having Millcreek Elementary close in 2022. He said the Title 1 school was loved by the community and provided services for lower-income families, and it was tough to see that school shuttered.

“I, and the rest of our city councilmembers, recognize the value to a neighborhood of a local public school,” Silvestrini said. “As the mayor of this whole city, I want to know that the people on the west side of our community support this movement as well…The feasibility study would be spending everybody’s tax dollars.”

Granite School District Superintendent Ben Horsley has met with concerned parents and is conscious of the worry that comes with school closure discussions. While the district is doing a boundary study on enrollment and population growth for 10 elementary schools, he said no decision has been made and won’t be made until more information is received and reviewed.

The 10 elementary schools being studied are Cottonwood, Crestview, Driggs, Morningside and Oakwood in Holladay, and Eastwood, Rosecrest, Oakridge, William Penn and Upland Terrace in Millcreek. Some South Salt Lake students also attend Millcreek elementaries. 

“One of the reasons I was appointed to be the superintendent was to ensure that we engage with our communities continually and work to enhance those processes to make sure that we’re meeting our community’s needs,” Horsley said. “I take any parent concern seriously, whether it’s regarding a district split or any other questions regarding educational outcomes. I will continue to engage with parents directly, as appropriate, to make sure that we’re meeting their needs.”

Horsley mentioned a 2000 legislative report that studied the cost of splitting school districts. The study showed a cost of $3 million to $45 million (based on 2000 dollars) to split a district, depending on its size and location. That estimate does not include the proportional tax increases in both districts to maintain or enhance services.

If Granite splits, Horsley said the amount of funding the new district would receive would be significantly less. To keep services at the current level would require a revenue increase, because the districts would lose the economies of scale.

“There would be potential pros, in terms of more local representation,” he said. “You would certainly see an increase in board representation in that particular area. But
if that’s the concern, why don’t we just fix that problem?”

Davis believes public schools are a tent pole in the community, especially at the elementary level, and he’s witnessed charter, private schools and homeschooling take students out of public education. He said as parents pull kids out of local schools, the students most at-risk are the ones whose families don’t have the resources to pay for private schools. 

Cities spend millions of dollars on projects, like skate parks and green space, and Davis thinks allocating $50,000 for a feasibility study (shared between the three cities) is a good investment.

“If the feasibility study shows it doesn’t make sense for our area, we’ll crumple it up, throw out the garbage and I’ll have more time with my family, because I won’t have to run this campaign anymore,” Davis said. “If it comes out good for our area and we have the means to run our own district, which would mean a jump in representation…I think that’s a win.” λ