For kids who live in and near Salt Lake City’s easternmost foothills, it’s already a trek to travel to and from elementary school.
That journey could become even longer if the Granite School District decides to close Eastwood Elementary, as it’s currently considering.
Nestled near the base of the Wasatch Mountains in Millcreek, Eastwood’s current boundary is one of the biggest in the district, serving students from around the mouth of Millcreek Canyon all the way north up into Emigration Canyon.
If it closes, students would be reassigned to Oakridge Elementary, about 2 miles south — making for longer walks and bike rides for those closer to campus and longer commutes from higher-elevation areas more prone to winter snow.
“We wanted a walkable school,” said parent Tara Thomas, on why her family chose to live near Eastwood. “It’s just been an amazing thing for my son, who [has] historically struggled with separation anxiety, and school drop-off was always really challenging. But being able to ride bikes has been a game changer.”
Eastwood is one of two elementary schools that the district is studying for potential closure next year. The other, Morningside Elementary, wouldn’t shut down completely but would instead host a solely K-5 French dual language immersion program, according to the proposal.
District officials have cited Eastwood’s declining enrollment and low “utilization” to explain why the school is at risk of shuttering. Utilization refers to how “full” a school building is and whether it’s considered an efficient use of public resources, district officials explained at a board meeting Sept. 2.
But parents and students aren’t letting their beloved school go without a fight, they say, in part because walkability and bikeability is vital to the largely outdoorsy community it serves.
Together, they’ve launched a campaign called “SOS Eastwood,” complete with a website and a petition. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had amassed more than 1,600 signatures.
“Eastwood is already perfect,” said parent Christopher Jennings, whose two children attend the school. “Eastwood works because of its proximity to the freeway. … It’s convenient. It’s the right place. It’s a great education. I can’t imagine shutting down a magnet like that if you’re the district.”
Walking the walk
Eastwood parent Jenifer Tomchak said there isn’t “a single safe walking route” from the Emigration Canyon area to Oakridge Elementary.
“There’s a literal canyon that divides these two neighborhoods,” she said, pointing to Millcreek Canyon, which cuts between Eastwood’s and Oakridge’s current boundaries.
To demonstrate how unsafe they feel the route is, parents and students staged a protest walk from Eastwood to Oakridge on Sept. 26.
It took them just under an hour to walk down Wasatch Boulevard, which, at points, had “limited” sidewalks or none at all, said Eastwood parent Nastasya Mangone.
“There is no posted 20 mph speed limit in that area during school times, so cars were going super fast,” Mangone said. “[Kids] have to cross over Millcreek Canyon and go over several business driveways which cannot be monitored by crossing guards.”
Another potential route to Oakridge is along Jupiter Drive, a residential street that runs roughly parallel to Wasatch Boulevard. But Mangone said it has no sidewalks and several “blind corners.”
“One of our parents went that way home via bike and almost got hit,” Mangone said. “The district is now saying they will just have to bus everyone.”
But parents argue busing isn’t a good option, either. On top of what they said are already long wait times for bus pickup, they’re concerned the extended bus drive — particularly for those living up Emigration Canyon — could be unsafe in winter.
In a statement, Granite School District officials told The Salt Lake Tribune that should Eastwood close, the bus route from Emigration Canyon to Oakridge would be a “standalone” route, which “will actually reduce the current daily commute of those students.”
Officials also noted they would create a new route to make “additional courtesy stops as it drives south towards Oakridge.”
“With this plan, we anticipate that interested students who live north of Millcreek Canyon will have the opportunity to ride the bus to Oakridge, which is the vast majority of the current Eastwood boundary,” officials said.
The area of Eastwood’s current boundary that lies south of Millcreek Canyon is considered walkable based on state law, district officials said, and “is comparable to the walk that current Oakridge students are making everyday.
Why Eastwood and Morningside?
The district recommended closing Eastwood and Morningside after a seven-month population study of its 10 easternmost elementary schools.
All sit within “Area 5” of its current boundaries — neighborhoods roughly beyond 1300 East. The study examined declining enrollment and changing demographics and was spearheaded by the district’s Population Analysis Committee, which handles annual school-boundary reviews and gathers community feedback.
Ideally, district officials said last month, a school building should fall somewhere between 80%-90% utilization, which allows some room for potential enrollment growth and program expansion.
Eastwood sits at 54% utilization. And while it has the capacity for about 500 students, only 270 attend, according to study data.
Oakridge also has a low utilization rate (47%). However, district officials said they chose Eastwood for potential closure over Oakridge because Oakridge has a larger building capacity, is more centrally located and has a more efficient school pickup and drop-off system.
But Eastwood parents said they disagree with the district’s assertion that Oakridge is more centrally located.
“That’s factually not true, unless you exclude Emigration Canyon,” said parent Sarah Harman. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable as a parent even driving my child [to Oakridge] in the winter based on the steep hills. … Winter conditions aside, I would much prefer to wait in line at Eastwood.”
The decision whether to close Eastwood and Morningside ultimately lies with the Granite School District Board of Education, which will take a final vote on the matter in December.
The district has already held several public meetings where Eastwood and Morningside residents can share their concerns, with more planned in the coming months.
One upcoming meeting, for Morningside students and parents, is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the school.