Ogden board approves boundary changes affecting Hillcrest, Eastridge, Heritage and Lincoln elementaries

The Ogden City School District Board of Education approved changes to elementary school attendance boundaries for Hillcrest, Eastridge, Heritage and Lincoln after district staff said the changes would not materially increase busing costs.

District staff told the board the proposed Hillcrest boundary largely restores an earlier configuration and that most of the areas moved into Hillcrest are within walking distance of the school. The staff member said the bus that historically served the north end of Hillcrest would continue to run and would not require an additional route.

The board heard that elementary transportation eligibility is based on a 1.5-mile radius and that junior high and secondary eligibility is 2 miles. The staff member said the district’s contractor, First Student, and a mapping product from Jared Bond were used to draw the 1.5-mile walk/bus boundary and that areas inside that line generally would not qualify for busing. "Our bussing company, the First Student, they go in and they really make sure that where that boundary line is is based on the streets," the staff member said.

Staff also said the district plans outreach to affected families and that kindergarten roundup dates and summer lunch information will be communicated when available.

Board member Brunette moved to approve the boundary changes for Hillcrest Elementary. Brunette later amended the motion to include Eastridge, Heritage and Lincoln; Vice President Anderson seconded the amended motion. The board approved the motion by voice vote; no opposing votes were recorded in the meeting transcript.

Board discussion noted one small Eastridge area between 7th and 12th streets that would qualify for busing under the revised map and that the district will continue to run the DLI route from the previous TL Smith boundary until that cohort completes its transition. Staff said special education transportation routes will continue to operate to serve students with disabilities.

The district also confirmed a prior public hearing had addressed a road-closure matter connected to the plan; board members said that closure had already been completed in a prior public hearing.

The board’s action follows a public open house and a district survey that staff said mirrored the public questions—chiefly transportation and boundary-exception timelines. Staff said the boundary-exception window will reopen after the board’s final decision; the district described the typical exception window timeline in Utah as running from Dec. 1 through the second Friday of February but said the window would be reopened specifically because of the boundary change.

The board did not specify a date for the changes to take effect during the meeting. Staff said they will distribute finalized maps and transportation eligibility PDFs to families once the documents are prepared.

The changes were presented as part of a special session that also addressed a board vacancy; the board approved the boundary changes before proceeding to candidate interviews and a final appointment.