Building blocks: Inside Timpanogos School District’s preparations for 2027 launch
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- Timpanogos School District Superintendent Joseph Jensen poses for a photo Friday, May 15, 2026, in Orem.
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- Timpanogos School District board members interact with students in an undated photo.
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- Timpanogos School District Superintendent Joseph Jensen interacts with students at Northridge Elementary in Orem in an undated photo.
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- Timpanogos School District Superintendent Joseph Jensen poses for a photo Friday, May 15, 2026, in Orem.
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- Timpanogos School District Superintendent Joseph Jensen poses for a photo Friday, May 15, 2026, in Orem.
Timpanogos School District officials are working to build a new district that is financially stable and can serve students on a scholarly level ahead of its official launch in July 2027.
As part of the planning process, new superintendent Joseph Jensen and board members visited staff, students and parents from nearly all 29 schools in the future district this spring to discuss the district’s vision.
As part of these discussions, district leadership said it wants to address difficult financial decisions head-on with transparency while taking the necessary time to identify how to best facilitate future student success.
“There’s a lot of anxiety about the split, and so some people came into these meetings thinking they’re going to get all these answers.” Board President Jen Lyman said. “But it’s really helpful to bring it back to this basic building-block work that we’re doing as a district, and being able to go to the schools and elicit that feedback and let them know that hey, ‘We value your voice.'”
Navigating challenges
Residents in the north and west cities of the Alpine School District voted to leave the district through a pair of propositions in 2024. However, there was no proposition on the ballot in Pleasant Grove, Lindon, Orem and Vineyard, and residents of those cities did not get a say when a third district was created by default.
The area’s age demographics present particular challenges in starting a new district. State funding for school districts comes at a per-pupil level, and Timpanogos School District will have the lowest enrollment of the three new districts with around 23,000 students.
Housing costs and lower birth rates are contributing to enrollment declines in the area. Operating a smaller district would increase the cost of district services by an estimated $300 per student annually, according to a video released by district officials this week.
Timpanogos officials estimate an annual deficit of $20 million if schools and service operations remain the same. Cutting the deficit will require either raising property taxes by about 17%, cutting programs and services or a combination of raising taxes and cutting the budget, according to district officials in the video.
At this week’s board meeting, a boundary study was launched. Jensen said the goal of this process is not to immediately close schools and realign boundaries. He said they first want to identify criteria to create robust elementary, junior high and high schools.
“That’s where we’re starting from,” Jensen said. “We’re going to create a draft criteria that reflects this vision, and then we’re going to take that out to principals at the end of May for their feedback on that. We want the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. And then, on June 1 and 2 we’ll actually have some community meetings, one at each high school, where we will ask them input on the criteria of what makes a robust school.”
Lyman said it is a three-phase process that will involve the community at each step.
“Our goal as a district is to have touch points with our community, so they are not only aware, but they’re having input at every point along the line,” she said. “So it’s not like ‘Oh, information was leaked,’ it’s like, no, they are with us. We are doing this together.”
Being in the schools
Some Timpanogos leaders originally campaigned against the split, including Jensen and Lyman, but have since accepted the new challenge.
“We were handed a lot of lemons; we’re going to make some really delicious lemonade,” Lyman said.
Jensen said there is alignment between individual school board members and the new staff, which has brought optimism.
Leadership is finding that a smaller district will have some advantages. They’re able to be more present than they would be in a district with 92 schools. Jensen was able to visit each school within a reasonable time frame and the board has already met with city leaders of three of the four cities within the district.
“It’s an opportunity to bring our community identity around our schools in a more focused way,” board member Michele Sorensen said.
On Friday morning, Jensen, Lyman and Sorensen stopped at Timpanogos High School as part of the district’s 28th of 29 trips.
They shared with students, teachers, administrators and parents the district vision, “Together, we cultivate joyful, thriving students through high levels of genuine learning for each student in a culture of exceptional care, curiosity, and community.” That genuine learning is split into three categories: knowledge, skills and dispositions.
What proceeded in a Timpanogos boardroom was a discussion about this vision. Personal experiences were shared and thoughts were presented. A key takeaway from parents and staff was that genuine learning begins in the classroom and can foster a sense of community among individual students that can develop outward.
Those types of conversations happened within 28 schools this spring and are planned for a 29th time at Mountain View High next fall when a new principal comes in, Jensen said, showing many minds are at work to build a successful future for students in the Timpanogos School District.
“I would say school is about so much more than just knowing,” Jensen said. “We’re not just trying to put information into kids’ heads. Kids need to be able to do something meaningful with what they learn, and they need to be able to interact effectively in a community.
“We want each student to be able to accomplish whatever they want. Individually, there’s a benefit to public education, but there’s also a collective benefit when each student reaches their potential. We’re all better together.”
