Orem currently has approximately 529 short-term rentals spread across only 14 elementary school boundaries. That averages nearly 38 short-term rental properties per elementary school zone. Even if the actual distribution is uneven, the impact on student populations and neighborhood stability is substantial.

Elementary schools depend on stable, long-term resident families. Short-term rentals do the opposite. They remove housing from the market for permanent residents and replace neighbors with temporary visitors. Every home converted into a vacation rental is potentially one less family with children enrolled in local schools.

This is not a hypothetical concern. Orem has already experienced significant enrollment decline in many schools. An Orem housing study noted that the city saw roughly a 16% decline in public K-12 enrollment over an 18-year period, particularly in older neighborhoods where homes were increasingly converted into rental properties.

When enrollment drops, schools face serious consequences:

Reduced funding tied to student counts.

Larger combined classes.

Fewer teachers and staff.

Cuts to programs and extracurricular activities.

Potential boundary changes or even school closures.

Short-term rentals accelerate these problems because they reduce the supply of owner-occupied housing that traditionally supports schools. Families looking to settle in Orem often cannot compete with investors purchasing homes for nightly rental income.

The effects go beyond the classroom. Strong schools depend on stable communities. Children benefit when they know their neighbors, walk to school with friends, and grow up in neighborhoods filled with long-term residents invested in the community. A revolving door of visitors undermines that stability.

If Orem allows hundreds of homes to function as de facto hotels across only 14 elementary school zones, we should not be surprised when enrollment declines continue and neighborhood schools struggle.

This issue is not about opposing tourism or property rights. It is about balance. A city designed for families cannot remain healthy if too much of its housing inventory is converted into transient lodging.

Protecting neighborhood schools means protecting long-term housing for families. Once schools lose enrollment, rebuilding them is far more difficult than preventing the decline in the first place.

Jordyn Kauwe is a long-time Orem resident.