PROVO — School district boundary maps for the new three districts in north Utah County were approved Tuesday by the County Commission.

Alpine School District will be splitting into three school districts after a pair of interlocal agreements were voted on by the majority of residents in the 2024 general election.

The proposed maps for the three new districts — tentatively called the Central District, the West or Lake Mountain District, and the South or Timpanogos District — were presented in a meeting on March 12. The official district names will be decided by the incoming district administration.

The maps largely follow city lines, with Lehi, American Fork, Highland, Cedar Hills, Alpine and part of Draper in Central; Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Cedar Fort and Fairfield in West; and Orem, Pleasant Grove, Lindon and Vineyard in South.

Redistricting Committee Chairman Mac Sims presented the plans, which were created to keep the city communities together in each district. He said the boundary choices were made based on population data from 2023.

County staff voiced concern about future redistricting issues since the county has experienced so much growth but does not have the most accurate data at this point, halfway through a census period.

Ultimately, the commission applauded the committee and Sims' efforts in creating the boundaries, saying he considered more than just the math of the population totals — he researched how he could keep students and families close to the communities they were already a part of.

Related:

Utah County releases proposed boundaries for Alpine School District split

A three-way split is in the works for Alpine School District, and the first renderings of a new boundary map were published March 12.

After the maps were presented, the county put out a survey to receive final comments on the proposed boundaries. In just two weeks, the survey got more than 4,500 responses.

County communications manager Rich Piatt said Tuesday many of the concerns raised in the comments boiled down to "frequently asked questions" about the timeline of the process going forward, whether or not children will have to change schools, and how the split will affect taxes and school funding.

"The new district boards will be responsible for studying and making any changes to school boundaries, not the county," the county says on its website.

More questions and answers about the school boundaries have been posted on the county website.

"For families who live on district border lines or have unique situations, the law provides flexibility, allowing children to attend the school that best fits their educational needs. Therefore, while there may be some adjustments in the future, the current school your children attend may not be impacted by the district division," one of the answers states.

On Tuesday, the Utah County Commission approved the new boundary maps and determined the term lengths for school board seats. Some of the school board seats will be three years, and some will be five years for the first term, and then the terms will adjust back to the traditional four-year terms that are staggered in the election cycle.

The County Commission said this meeting was a "key step" in the division of Alpine School District.

"I think it's going to be great for our students when we are all done and operating," Commissioner Skyler Beltran said. The county tried to ensure the boundary drawing process was "very public" and used resident feedback, he added.

Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner said part of the boundary drawing process included working with the Provo School District to "clean up" some of the lines in that area.

Tuesday's approval marks the conclusion of the county's role in the school district split. Moving forward, the 21 school board seats will be filled in the November election and start serving in December. Candidates can file to run in June.

"Over the following year, the three new districts will focus on crafting policies, hiring staff, and preparing to educate students. The transition will culminate at the beginning of the 2027 school year when the newly formed districts, shaped by the community's decisions, will officially start educating students," the county said in a statement.

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