Parents, students and community members used the board's public comment time on Oct. 21 to urge the Salt Lake City School District to preserve small or specialized programs threatened by reconfiguration or funding decisions.

Student Luzha Xi, identified as sophomore class president at West High School, told trustees she supports saving the Chinese language classes and the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) at West. "The Chinese program at West is one of the main language classes at West, and a popular choice for the IB diploma program," Xi said. She also told the board she was informed by Superintendent Grant that JROTC would be moved in 2028 to the district CT C center and asked for clarity and help keeping the program at West.

Parents and family members spoke for Innovations High School during the formal school-and-program-closure comment period. Greg Gerber, father of a junior at Innovations, described the school as a setting where students "don't neatly fit into standardized models, but they can excel" and urged trustees not to close the program despite acknowledged challenges including limited access to community-college courses and declining enrollment. Karen Gomez, a parent whose son is an Innovations student, said teacher relationships and individualized support there produced measurable gains for her child.

Why it matters: Public comments are a formal part of board meetings and can prompt staff follow-up; the district told the public that state law prevents taking action on new items raised during comments but staff may follow up where appropriate. Several speakers linked program cuts to the district's broader enrollment and funding pressures discussed during the evening's data presentation.

District response and clarifications: Superintendent Doctor Grant acknowledged the concerns and told the board and public that the timing and reasons for program moves differ: staff said the JROTC move was not a funding shortfall at the program level (JROTC is federally funded), while the district cited funding concerns for other program changes. Grant recommended staff follow up with speakers and said he could not make immediate policy commitments during public comment.

Clarifying details: Student speakers said roughly 2,000 people signed a petition to save the Chinese program (petition figure reported by speaker). Speakers said JROTC had been at West High for 32 years; the superintendent said a relocation to the Career and Technical Center (CTC) is scheduled for 2028. Parents at Innovations named issues they believe could be fixed with investment rather than closure: limited access to concurrent-enrollment community-college classes, communication gaps with partner institutions and outreach to boost enrollment.

Ending: Board members thanked speakers and asked staff to follow up. Trustees did not take action on public comment items that evening; Superintendent Grant said district staff could pursue follow-up with speakers and bring more detailed options back to the board in future agenda items.