At its June 11 meeting, the Aspen Peak School District Board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) governing the division of assets and liabilities among Aspen Peaks, Lake Mountain, and Timpanogos school districts as the breakup of Alpine School District moves forward.
Board leaders described the agreement as one of the most significant milestones yet in the transition process, emphasizing cooperation over conflict and a commitment to ensuring all three successor districts begin on solid footing.
Board President Knight called the agreement "a huge commitment from everyone involved to keep the needs of all students, no matter the district, front and center." The negotiations involved representatives from all three districts, including each district's superintendent, board president, and board vice president. According to Superintendent Joel Perkins, the process relied heavily on extensive data collection completed by Alpine School District staff.
"We need to express gratitude to the layer of detail and work that was done by Alpine in order for us to be able to have this conversation," Perkins said. "Hats off to the ASD team for their great work in making that happen."
Perkins explained that state law clearly dictates that geographically based assets transfer to the district in which they are located. The more complex discussions centered on assets and liabilities that must be divided proportionally among the three new districts.
He noted that negotiators also reached practical agreements that deviated from a strict student-population formula when doing so better reflected actual obligations. One example involved accrued employee vacation liabilities, which would be allocated based on employees rather than student counts. For Perkins, the agreement represented more than a financial settlement.
"This relationship, this understanding truly is a reflection of the commitment to three strong districts moving forward," he said. "All members of the negotiation team truly were looking at the benefit of all three districts and making sure that they were set up in order to be effective."
Board members repeatedly praised the collaborative tone of the negotiations and the willingness of all parties to compromise while Board Vice President Amber Bonner expressed that participants remained focused on supporting students and employees throughout the process.
"We still care about what's going on in the other districts," Bonner said. "We still want the other students, the other employees to be taken care of and to have what they need to be successful. "She acknowledged that the negotiations could have become contentious and even resulted in arbitration.
"There was a risk we could have gone to arbitration," she said. "That was something that none of us wanted." Instead, Bonner praised the final result as an agreement that "required everybody to give a little."
Board member Jason Hart said the document reflected thoughtful decision-making beyond the minimum legal requirements. "As I went through the memorandum of understanding and I could see where there were points of deviation from where the law was very explicit, I just think that you chose such wise places to make some negotiations that really serve the students and the employees," Hart said.
Following approval of the MOU, Knight read a joint statement that will be issued by all three districts regarding other post-employment benefits (OPEB). The statement affirmed that retiree medical benefits will remain intact and portable between the new districts.
"The school boards of Aspen Peaks, Lake Mountain, and Timpanogos stand united in supporting our employees throughout this district transition," the statement reads.
Knight said the agreement demonstrates the districts' shared commitment to honoring promises made to employees while ensuring a successful launch for all three new school systems.