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Members of the Alpine School District Board of Education are shown during a meeting Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. From left are Ada Wilson, Joylin Lincoln, Mark Clement, Julie King, President Sara Hacken, Superintendent Shane Farnsworth, Sarah Beeson, Stacy Bateman and Business Administrator Jason Sundberg.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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The outside of Lindon Elementary School is shown Nov. 29, 2024.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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This map shows the boundary outlines for Eagle Mountain middle schools as approved by the Alpine School District Board of Education.

Courtesy Alpine School District

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Some parents with elementary school-aged children in the Alpine School District can breathe a sigh of relief heading into the Christmas holiday break, as two schools that were being considered for closure will remain open.

On Tuesday, the Alpine School District Board of Education voted in favor of concluding the closure studies of Windsor Elementary School in Orem and Lindon Elementary while halting any further action.

The board also was considering integrating Windsor’s Dual Language Immersion program into a magnet program at Orchard Elementary.

That study also was closed without a decision by the board.

The board of education was thinking about potentially closing both schools, reportedly due to stagnant enrollment, aging facilities, fiscal responsibilities and the desire to provide expanded resources to accommodate diverse student populations, among other issues.

The board initiated the process to explore the options in a 90-day study period including opportunities for public feedback during its meeting Sept. 17.

Since that time, a major shift in the district has emerged as voters chose to split the district during last month’s general election.

The move was championed by proponents as a way to allow for more local control across three different areas in the soon-to-be disbanded Alpine School District.

Though many of the issues facing the two campuses likely will persist for the time being, the current school board felt the matter should be left up to future board members.

But Tuesday’s decision didn’t come without a robust discussion about the fate of both schools.

In the case of Windsor Elementary, board President Sara Hacken, who conducted her final meeting Tuesday evening, said she’s been against closing it and believes the school has a lot of potential, citing strong enrollment and successful teachers.

“My dream is to rebuild Windsor,” she said during the meeting. “To find the funding, rebuild Windsor and then take action from there. That’s something that a future board will want to do.”

Board member Ada Wilson said she was not in favor of putting the issue off, citing a deficit faced by schools in the south area of the district and a need for financial belt-tightening to meet long-term goals of operating viable and competitive schools.

But she also noted the uncertainty some teachers and administrators in the districts have endured.

“And it is only in their interest that I am lodging a friendly no vote, but I hope that future boards will be aggressive in attacking, making us a solid and competitive school district,” Wilson said.

Board member Sarah Beeson acknowledged that new board members will be tasked with making some difficult decisions when they take office in 2026, but added that it’s only fair to allow those individuals the opportunity to decide what’s best for their communities.

“It’s been a hard decision for me, because I can see some of the challenges of these schools, and yet, I feel like honoring the vote and moving forward, and trying to do things the right way for these three new districts supersede some of these issues and they’ll, as a community, have to grapple with all of that,” Beeson said.

Board member Mark Clement thinks a realignment in the south part of the district may alleviate some of the existing issues.

Regarding Lindon Elementary, if the board moved forward with a closure, it’s likely those students would have moved to nearby Rocky Mountain Elementary, which may have led to an issue of overcrowding.

“We really need to probably look at (the) boundaries for all of these schools in that south district, and it’s not easy to predict what a future board would want to do with respect to these schools,” Clement said.

Hacken noted feedback from PTA members and some faculty members who supported the idea of closing Lindon Elementary, citing its old age and seismic issues — though, many who voiced their opinions during public comment sessions were against closing the facility.

“I think a lot of us feel like Lindon (Elementary) needs to be closed. But is now the time, and is this the way?” she said.

Board member Julie King cited student enrollment projection data that suggests more than a dozen schools will be underpopulated by the time the new districts take effect in 2027 as well the financial commitment entailed.

“I want to be perfectly clear that just because we’re pausing on this action doesn’t mean that no action has to be taken in the future,” King said. “I worry about the consequences for under-enrolled schools and programs. I also want to acknowledge that this is a multimillion-dollar decision. When we are committing to keep schools open, we are committing millions of dollars to make that happen.”

Both measures ultimately garnered 6-1 votes in favor of keeping the schools open for now.

The school board did take action on other items, including an approval of the boundaries for a new middle school in Eagle Mountain.

According to the boundary map, students living in the area surrounding Cory Wride Highway near Ranches Parkway and Cedar Fort Road will be served by the new school. Students living in the area surrounded by Pony Express Parkway and east of Eagle Mountain Boulevard will be served by Frontier Middle School.

When the new middle school opens for the start of the 2025-26 school year, it will serve around 1,500 students in Eagle Mountain. Feeder elementary schools include Black Ridge, Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Hidden Hollow and Pony Express, a district press release said.

With boundaries now established, Principal Brian Jolley can now begin work to determine a name for the new school.