Voters approved the Salt Lake City School District’s massive $730 million bond in the recent general election. The majority of the bond provides for a rebuild of West and Highland High Schools. Given the large size of the bond, it is reasonable to ask how this turn of events affects the possibility of a fourth high school in the district, west of I-15.
Residents of Glendale and surrounding communities have long campaigned for a local high school, to no avail. The district acknowledges that west-side students are underserved by not having a community based high school, and the district talks about developing new programs to address this problem while still requiring west-side students to endure long bus rides to the east side, where students have said they do not feel they are part of the school community.
The inequity of the situation is obvious.
The board can give action to its commitment to equity for all students, build a west-side high school and still rebuild West and Highland High Schools through the following steps.
Put a hold on the bond selling process.
Not selling bonds is easy: Just don’t sell the bonds. And halt the architectural design work that’s already started.
Develop an educational plan that uses four high schools to meet the needs of the district.
The district can develop a plan for high school education that uses four smaller comprehensive high schools: East, West, Highland and a new west side school. Smaller high schools create better school climates, reports Stuart Grauer, Ed.D., founder of the Small Schools Coalition. They offer students multiple benefits, including higher school attendance and graduation rates; increased school safety due to reductions in risky behavior and school suspensions; better school connectedness and higher staff morale.
The district has special needs that could be filled by a new west-side high school — particularly a technical, comprehensive high school.
By technical I mean a school that focuses on STEM-related CTE Pathways (a set of related courses focused on a narrow range of career skills), including existing district pathways in manufacturing and automotive. I propose adding CTE Pathways related to growing Utah industries, such as advanced manufacturing (composites, semiconductors, additive manufacturing), construction trades, large equipment operation and repair, and automotive pathways that include hybrid and electric cars. These pathways do not all exist yet; the district can lead the way in creating new pathways.
By comprehensive I mean a school that offers the full complement of college preparatory classes, AP classes and IB/AP diploma programs. It would include a full complement of resources and special education support. A full set of extra-curricular activities, including athletics, the arts and student clubs should be included. Students attending this school could focus on hands-on, ready for work at graduation classes, preparation for college or both. This school would address the changing nature of post-secondary education, in which fewer students are choosing a standard, liberal arts bachelor of arts degree in favor of microcredentials and certifications.
Negotiate with the city to use open city land for the high school.
The city has several large plots of unused land west of I-15. Surely motivated parties could provide land through either a property exchange or long-term, low-cost lease.
Repurpose the current bond.
The bond can be repurposed through a public process. Repurposing to build one new high school and rebuild two could have wide support throughout the district. The cost for each school should, I believe, be substantially less than the $300 million currently planned. Luxury items, such as athletic fieldhouses, could be delayed. Perhaps some of the spaces in the schools might be sponsored by many of the generous corporations and family foundations in Utah, adding to the bond money.
Develop the physical plans for each high school and build the schools.
Guided by this new vision, the district could proceed with architectural plans. Sharing these proposed plans with the community would, I believe, lead to wide-spread support. After community buy-in, the building could start.
We are dreaming too small, to the neglect of all our students and our city. We need to look forward, rather than rebuilding the status quo. We need to better support all of our students and communities. We can make this happen if we set our minds to it.
(Russell Askren) Russell Askren, Ph.D., teaches at the university level and has two children in the Salt Lake City School District.
Russell Askren, Ph.D., teaches at the university level. He was a candidate for school board in the most recent election. He has two children in the Salt Lake City School District.
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