Parents urge Weber School Board to pause Loma View closure study as district weighs costs and enrollment trends

Weber School District officials presented data on enrollment trends and building conditions Tuesday as the board continues a closure and boundary study that includes Loma View Elementary, drawing an extended public response urging delay.

Superintendent Butters and district staff framed the discussion around the district's Elevate '28 goals and demographic shifts. Heather Nilsen, presenting enrollment data, said the district's third-grade reading target is 70 percent and that some schools' cohorts are below that mark. "When looking at this graph for Loma View, please note that the sharp enrollment drop during the 2019-20 school year was a result of boundary changes tied to the opening of Orchard Springs Elementary," she said, and added that kindergarten cohorts in many parts of the district have been smaller than outgoing sixth-grade classes, contributing to longer-term decline.

District maintenance and capital staff detailed facility challenges at Loma View. Larry Hadley described unreinforced masonry (URM) and plumbing, heating and roofing deficiencies and provided rough order-of-magnitude cost ranges. Hadley said reinforcing URM in the older portion of the building would be roughly $6.6 million at the low estimate and up to $7.5 million at the high end, with additional upgrades (roof membrane, HVAC, piping, power service and window or film upgrades) raising a full-renovation scenario into the mid-to-high tens of millions. "If we went to the other side and we did the HVAC, added power, re-did the piping, the safety fence, the safety film, the exterior doors, and the utilities ... it's an expense of just over $19,000,000," Hadley said.

Community members who signed up for public comment urged the board not to close Loma View. Michelle Jeffs, who identified herself as a Pleasant View resident, said Loma View "consistently outperforms both district and state averages" and warned that closing a top-performing school would erode district academic gains. "Closing such a school doesn't just hurt Pleasant View. It hurts the district," Jeffs said.

Other speakers raised fiscal and operational cautions. Parent Lindsay Carrigan argued there are too many ongoing studies'including a dual-language immersion (DLI) review and unresolved impacts from state scholarship programs'to make a final decision now. She warned that replacing Loma View's capacity temporarily could require dozens of portables and preliminary relocation costs she estimated at roughly $5.2 million for moving 26 portables, not counting restroom or cafeteria needs.

Several commenters described Loma View as a tight-knit community and cited long-tenured teachers and parent investment. "Our teachers truly love these kids," Darcy Scoville said. "Loma View is not just a building. It is the community of teachers, parents, and students who are shaping lives." Chad Hill, whose children attend Loma View, said he fears dispersing a top-performing, small-school environment would damage outcomes and community cohesion.

District staff acknowledged those concerns and emphasized the study is ongoing. Hadley said some cost estimates were conservative ROM numbers intended to inform — not dictate — board decisions. Heather Nilsen said the boundary and closure study will continue through December and that the district is studying multiple schools and scenarios before taking any final action.

The board did not vote on a closure or boundary change at the meeting; it set two upcoming opportunities for public engagement: an open house on Oct. 9 at Orchard Springs Elementary on proposed boundary adjustments and a public hearing on Nov. 12 at Loma View School to discuss the closure study.

What's next: The district will continue to refine enrollment, capital and program analyses; the public hearing on Nov. 12 will be the next formal opportunity for testimony on the Loma View study.