Originally, a motion was proposed to put a reconfiguration on the November 2024 ballot. This motion was amended by Julie King, who suggested board members should “direct staff to begin the process of a district reconfiguration study” to explore a ballot move.

The motion passed unanimously, with the condition of having the staff overseeing the project to come back and report on a timeline for the research, as well as the method they will use to gather feedback on potential reconfiguration plans this September.

“In the past, we’ve looked at reconfiguring Alpine into two pieces, into three pieces. We’ve had a city also look at a potential city school district question which was on the ballot last year. And so there’s a lot of options, and there’s not a formal proposal (for a reconfiguration yet),” said Rob Smith, Alpine School District’s business administrator.

King brought up her concern for the impacts a reconfiguration could have on the local economy and Utah County residents. Next to Brigham Young University, the Alpine School District is the region’s largest employer.

“I feel that we need to be very intentional about this because if we do it poorly or incorrectly, I feel like it will have a significant economic impact on our county as well as throughout our individual cities. We want to be mindful of our employees. We want to be mindful of the impact this will have on students and we want to be mindful of the impact this will have on taxpayers (and) on our families,” King said.

The board hopes to educate residents as much as possible on the matter as it develops, and hopes to see a lot of engagement from them as well. Board member Ada Wilson emphasized the importance of the district’s students and leading in learning.

“It’s become difficult to address that because we have this elephant in the room. It’s difficult to make progress when we’re not sure where our communities want us to proceed. I think it’s time for us to assess where our community wants to be. And that’s the only way forward as far as leading learning and making decisions about facilities,” Wilson said.

Earlier in the meeting, the board unanimously passed two motions, signing off on its approval of both certified and classified employee negotiated agreements.

Certified employees will receive a 2% cost of living adjustment for the 2023-2024 school year and an educator salary adjustment of $4,200 for those working full time. Classified employees received a 5.5% cost of living adjustment and will receive a $500 bonus in November.

President of the Alpine Certified Teacher Association Mike Gowans expressed his appreciation for the board and for the peaceful negotiations that were had.

“There’s very tough decisions to make with the Alpine School District being so large, and we don’t take your job lightly. You guys do a fantastic job. After 30 years and watching all the different boards, I truly have to say this is one of the best boards that we’ve ever had. … We have probably the best negotiations in the state on both sides of the table. We respect each other and we really appreciate (seeing that),” Gowans said.