Board members will spend the next three to four months in high schools across the district gathering input on how the board can be more responsive.

"It's an outreach program to build bridges with our communities," Board President Sarah Meier said.

The proposal to split Granite along east-west lines grew from east-side patrons' displeasure over how the board handled school-closure decisions that affected east-side schools. Residents of South Salt Lake City, Holladay and unincorporated parts of Salt Lake County wanted the split to go before voters in November, but the Salt Lake County Council, which had to agree to a vote, let the proposal die.

Granite board members have been meeting with a facilitator to help them come up with a responsiveness plan. The upcoming public forums are one result.

"Mostly we are going to listen. We don't have an agenda," Meier said of the upcoming meetings.

She added board members also will visit schools in their precincts and work to make themselves more visible to constituents, and may opt to create a community council at the district level.

"We thought we were responsive and I think in many ways we were," Meier said. But she acknowledged the split initiative showed some patrons didn't perceive board members as responsive, so they have work to do.

Although all questions may not be answered and the board's responses may not all be popular, board members want patrons to know they're trying, she said.

Granite Superintendent Stephen Ronnenkamp said the plan speaks well of the board and commitments it has made.

"The only agenda is to go out and to listen, be responsive and make adjustments to policies or whatever [the meetings] may lead to," he said.

Ronnenkamp said it's tough to please everyone and emphasized the responsiveness plan is not solely a reaction of criticism that surfaced during the district-split discussions.

"The board is truly trying to find ways to better communicate with the public," he said.

Reaching out

to patrons

Community meetings are scheduled at each of the district networks the following dates. Specific times have not been set but more information will be available soon on the district's Web site, www.graniteschools.org.

* Oct. 17 at Cottonwood High School

* Oct. 23 at Granger High School

* Oct. 24 at Central High School, Granite Peaks

* Nov. 28 at Olympus High School

* Dec. 4 at Kearns High School

* Dec. 5 at Taylorsville High School

* Jan. 8 at Cyprus High School

* Jan. 19 at Skyline School