As Utah school districts face plummeting enrollment and several across Salt Lake County weigh campus closures, a new proposal would guarantee charter schools get the first opportunity to buy shuttered district properties.
The bill draft not yet discussed by lawmakers has already intensified community efforts to keep traditional schools open and pitted district parents against prospective charter buyers.
State law currently requires school districts to first offer any property they decide to sell to their municipality, a process that’s referred to as the “first right of refusal.”
But the proposed legislation, sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Riverton, would transfer that right to charter schools. In Utah, charters are public schools, though they operate independently from the districts whose boundaries they are located in.
Under the draft bill, districts could still hold on to unused buildings and other assets. But charters would get the first chance to buy should districts decide to sell.
Districts would also need to notify all authorized charter schools in the state at least 90 days before “any proposed sale, lease or other transfer” of property.
Charters would then have 45 days from the date of notice to express interest. After, the sale could open up to other potential buyers.
Lawmakers were set to discuss the proposal during the Education Interim Committee meeting on Oct. 15, but that day, legislators instead said it would be heard at a later date. Pierucci did not respond to requests for comment from The Salt Lake Tribune.
“This makes the proposed school closures even higher stakes for our communities,” wrote Jen Robinson in an email to The Tribune Wednesday.
Robinson is a parent at Morningside Elementary School, one of two elementary campuses that the Granite School District is studying for potential closure next school year.
Morningside would not shutter completely under Granite’s proposal. Instead, the traditional grade school would close, but the school’s two specialized programs would continue operating in the building, according to the district’s website.
The school currently hosts a K-5 French dual language program as well as a gifted program that the district refers to as an “Advanced Learning Center.”
The other Granite school, Eastwood Elementary, would shut down and direct students to nearby Oakridge Elementary. District officials previously told The Tribune that they were “not interested” in selling the Eastwood property.
Robinson told The Tribune in an interview Thursday that specialized programs help traditional public schools attract families who might otherwise look to charters for unique offerings.
“Part of the reason Morningside parents are especially anxious about this [draft bill] is because we see Morningside as the ‘three-track school’ — as the best option to compete with charter schools in the area,” Robinson said.
The Granite School District Board of Education is set to make a final decision about both Morningside and Eastwood in December. But no matter the outcome, there is no guarantee the schools won’t land on the chopping block again, Robinson said.
“It is terrifying for us,” Robinson said. “We are going to be seeing our local public elementary schools shut down, potentially sold off to charter schools ... making us even more vulnerable to further closure.”
Enrollment drops could fuel closures — and sales
The Granite School District isn’t the only to study school closures and boundary adjustments as K-12 public enrollment in Utah experiences a historic nosedive.
The 2025-26 school year marked the largest dip in over two decades, according to recent data published by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE).
Overall enrollment dropped by 11,478 students, or 1.7%, this fall compared to last. Fewer students means less classroom funding, fuels school closure studies and could mean staff layoffs to come.
The Canyons School District, for instance, is reviewing proposals that could involve potentially closing Bella Vista Elementary, located in Cottonwood Heights, as well as Park Lane Elementary, located in Sandy, according to its website.
The Jordan School District is also weighing two separate boundary changes: one that would impact middle and high schools in the Midas Creek area, and another that would impact middle and high schools in the northwest part of the district, its website states.
A little further north, the Salt Lake City School District is looking at potentially closing Innovations Early College High School, shuttering a magnet program and converting Nibley Park School — a K-8 school — into a K-6.
Most school boards won’t make final decisions until December, but declining enrollment is frequently cited as a key factor driving the considerations.
In the 2024-25 school year, six district schools closed down statewide, according to data provided by USBE. Four charter schools closed, too.
Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.