The Alpine school district division begins with the November 2025 General Election, where voters will elect all 21 school board seats within their respective school board member districts. Once elected, the new board members will begin serving in December 2025 with three (3)to five (5) year terms. Over the following year, the three new districts will focus on crafting policies, hiring staff, including the superintendent, negotiating with other boards to decide which district gets what resources in the Alpine split and set property tax rates. The transition will culminate at the beginning of the 2027 school year when the newly formed districts, Lake Mountain, Aspen Peaks and Timpanogos districts, will officially start educating students. Aspen Peaks School District will have 7 seats and include Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Highland, Lehi and parts of Draper. District Seat 1 will serve a five year term.
As we establish this new school district, we must prioritize teacher and employee compensation as one of our main goals. Any service should be examined based on its clear benefit for students first, and then work from there. The continuity of the curriculum should be looked at in the light of how well it matches the district's goals.
I believe that it is unwise to expect to keep all of the Alpine School District's programs. I think that once the board is selected and the new superintendent is hired, there needs to be a serious study of different programs, initiatives, and practices. The study should evaluate all facets based on data for the impact on student learning. Any program that directly supports students should be prioritized, and then we can filter out other programs/initiatives according to the impact they will have on students.
So, I don't have specific programs in mind; rather, the process we can follow to determine which ones will continue and those that may need to be set aside for a time.
As an educator, I understand the challenges behind teacher retention. Some factors are outside of the school system's ability to control, such as a teacher leaving to raise a family. However, I see two key factors that affect teacher retention: compensation and support.
Compensation is important because it sends a message about how well the district respects and honors the work and expertise of teachers.
A district can support teachers by providing more opportunities to develop their skills with continued training and resources. Supporting teachers also requires leadership that is humble enough to listen to teachers and respond their their concerns and needs. Most teacher burnout is due to there not being the right support for teachers.
This is where we have a unique opportunity as a district. It will be about 18 months from the time the board is elected until ASPD opens. This means that we can get community input prior to taking over from the ASD to address actual needs and find out what could have been improved in the past.
This means from day one, the ASPD school board should prioritize this community input and feedback. With the interest in the current changes, this can provide opportunities to allow community members a chance to help design aspects of the school district.
Supporting a strong culture in our district and schools is the start. Students should be able to be in a learning environment that is engaging, uplifting, and relevant to their lives. When the instruction is good, you help reduce challenging behaviors.
When we reduce the load on teachers to focus on the most important work, the academic purposes, and creating a safe environment, then teachers can more fully actualize their work.
The biggest support for this is the selection of the superintendent and co-creating with them the culture that we hope to promote for the students and teachers.
Involving parents in this is also important, as their understanding of student needs is key to making a successful learning environment as well.
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