Morningside parents press Granite School District to keep school open, offer IB pathway as alternative to closure

Parents at a Granite School District community meeting on Morningside on Oct. 26 pressed district staff to reconsider a recommendation that would remove the traditional track from Morningside Elementary and shift or relocate special programs, and offered converting the school to an International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme as an alternative to closure.

Morningside parents said the school’s enrollment and community support argue against the district’s recommendation. "By the district's own standards, Morningside is doing exactly what every thriving public school should do," said Natalie Tinghe, a DLI parent, citing a current enrollment of 567 students and building utilization around 95 percent. Parent presenters said the school draws out-of-boundary families and that program stability matters for siblings and students with specialized needs.

The district framed the recommendation as the product of an Area 5 Program and Facilities Advisory Committee (PAC) review that weighed several factors, including inboundary enrollment, facility condition index (FCI), the geographic clustering of nearby schools and long-term demographic projections. "Two things can be true at the same time," said Steve Hogan, identified in the meeting as a district representative, in response to parents who said Morningside is thriving. Hogan said PAC prioritizes inboundary enrollment because it is a more stable long-term predictor than program-driven totals.

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