Patrons of Jordan School District, the state’s largest district, are now in the process of evaluating options for future facility planning for areas with declining enrollment. These alternatives may range from closing schools to operating special programs at under-enrolled schools.

“Many have asked why the Board of Education has chosen to study this issue,” said Superintendent Barry L. Newbold. “The public regularly asks the Board of Education to be as efficient as possible in its use of taxpayer dollars. Our research shows that we can save money by increasing the number of students in schools in areas of declining student population. There are four areas in the District where this could be possible (parts of Sandy, Midvale, West Jordan and the Cottonwood Heights area). We could be more efficient in the use of some of our facilities; however, those efficiencies would come with a ‘price’ in the form of consolidating school enrollments, school closures, changing boundaries, some busing, etc.”

The public is now providing feedback on these alternatives during open houses scheduled in April and early May. If patrons of the District did not attend any of the open houses, the information is available on the District Web site, http://www.jordandistrict.org/facilitiesplanning/, and the public may comment until May 19 via the Web site. Only patrons of the District are asked to provide feedback.

Following public comment, the options will be revised and the District Facilities Planning Committee will make its recommendations to the Board of Education in June.

If there are no recommendations for closing schools, the process will end at this point. If the Board of Education accepts a recommendation that one or more schools be closed (without identifying the specific schools), identification of these schools will be determined in Phase III.

If the Board determines that a school or schools will be closed, a new committee will be formed of District patrons and staff in the area(s) directly impacted by the decision to close a school. This committee will work with District staff on an evaluation of specific alternatives and recommendations for closures (including boundary adjustments). The committee's analysis will be presented to the public this fall with specific recommendations made to the Board of Education by the end of 2004.

5:09:42 PM    

SALT LAKE CITY (May 4, 2004) A fifth birthday usually calls for five candles on the birthday cake, but CommuterLink officials celebrated with fifteen candles instead--one for every life that has been saved thanks to the system’s technologies and services.

"The people and technologies that work together as ‘CommuterLink’ really do make a difference," said Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director John Njord. "The system saves Utahns $179 million and 9.8 million hours every year because of fewer delays, increased safety and more fuel efficiency. Nine-hundred-forty-eight traffic accidents and three traffic accident-related deaths are also prevented every year thanks to CommuterLink."

Njord announced some of the system’s successes at a birthday party today at the UDOT Traffic Operations Center (TOC), the heart of CommuterLink. Utah Department of Public Safety Colonel Claron Brenchley spoke about how CommuterLink increases safety on Utah’s roadways.

"Thanks to the CommuterLink cameras and Incident Management teams, clearance times for major single-lane incidents have been reduced from four hours to two hours," Colonel Brenchley said. "Clearance times for multi-lane full closure incidents have been reduced from three hours to two hours."

Njord also highlighted how CommuterLink and its components have grown in five years, including its coverage area expanding from only Salt Lake County in 1999 to its current coverage area encompassing Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Summit and Utah counties.

"We now have enough fiber strands feeding into this building to reach halfway around the earth," Njord said. "No wonder CommuterLink is recognized by industry experts across the country for its efficiency and success. In fact, just last week CommuterLink was awarded a ‘Best of ITS Award’ from the Intelligent Transportation Society of America for the nation’s best ‘Return on Investment.’"

CommuterLink officials encourage the public to tour the TOC and learn more about how CommuterLink helps improve transportation efficiency in Utah. Tours for individuals and groups can be scheduled by calling 801-887-3710.

5:05:57 PM