This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It seems to be an idea that somebody should have thought of earlier: getting the State Board of Education involved in downsizing the state's largest school districts.

Instead, the Legislature, city councils and community groups have at least a yearlong head start on the issue. Some cities have hired consultants to run the numbers and listened to disgruntled parents who think officials of enormous school districts don't pay attention to their concerns.

Now, better late than never, a committee is studying how the state education office might get involved. We think it's about time. The state office has the best vantage point for creating smaller districts, taking the big picture into account to balance needs created by shifting demographics.

A law passed last year makes it possible for incorporated cities and unincorporated communities to form their own school districts by pulling away from the Big Four - Granite, Jordan, Alpine and Davis. That kind of disjointed approach could create problems for both the old and the new districts.

The existing districts of Granite and Jordan, two of the largest in the country, encompass both east-side and west-side communities. School populations on the east side are dwindling, and some schools there have been closed, while student numbers are exploding in western communities, demanding near-constant school construction.

Breaking up larger districts piecemeal could leave west-side districts on their own to pay for new schools while their new, smaller cousins struggle to finance start-up administrative costs. Acting more objectively, the state board could make sure each resulting district is able to support itself.

The committee is considering a district cap of 30,000 students. That would mean five new districts would be created from among Jordan, with 77,000 students; Granite, 69,000; Davis, 62,000; and Alpine with 49,000.

Research shows districts of between 15,000 and 25,000 students can benefit from economies of scale and still be responsive to students and parents.

The state school board should control or at least have a major role in creating school districts. Leaving this important process in the hands of individual communities is asking for trouble.

The state school board should control or at least have a major role in creating school districts.