Grand County School Board officials voted Wednesday night to approve a school district boundary concept proposal presented by the San Juan County Board of Education. The agreement, which could take effect Jan. 1, 2011, would expand the Grand County School District boundary, officially making Spanish Valley part of the Grand County School District rather than San Juan district.

Under the proposal, the Grand County School District boundary would be adjusted to include the San Juan portion of private property in Spanish Valley. Federal and state lands as well as private property that is located outside of Spanish Valley, including Pack Creek, would remain in the San Juan School District boundary.

The San Juan School Board made the proposal after conducting a survey of their residents regarding whether to change was viewed as positive or negative. According to that survey, 60 percent of the San Juan residents were in favor of the change, and 40 percent opposed it, according to a report presented at last week’s Grand County School Board meeting.

The survey showed that families in Spanish Valley preferred to send their students to school in Moab rather than deal with busing to the nearest San Juan County school, which is located in Monticello, according to the report. About 140 San Juan students – almost 10 percent of the total GCSD student population – currently attend schools in Grand County.

The Grand County School Board’s July 21 action only approves the boundary line change. School board members said many of the plan’s details still need to be worked out in order to make sure the change is in Grand’s best interest.

GCSD officials approached San Juan earlier this year to ask for a larger subsidy for San Juan students who attend Grand County schools. But the San Juan School Board will not increase those payments, because, San Juan officials say, their district is already paying the amount required by state law.

“There is much to be discussed regarding the agreement of what this boundary change will mean. I would like to see these two issues kept separate to avoid locking ourselves into anything that may not be beneficial for our district,” said school district superintendant Margaret Hopkin. “We also don’t want to lock up the boundary shift with lengthy negotiations that may or may not be approved by first of the year.”

The agreement between the two districts centers mostly on how students remaining outside the boundary will be treated. Grand County school officials will continue to educate the more than 20 remaining students who will reside outside the new boundary, and San Juan officials will continue to pay the Grand County School District the required amount for each student, according to the state mandate. However, San Juan does not want to pay more than the dollar amount required by the state formula for compensation.

San Juan officials also asked for assurances that San Juan homes transferred into the new Grand County boundary will not be subject to a tax increase. Grand County school officials said they are not willing to make that promise.

Grand County School District Business Administrator Robert Farnsworth said that property owners in the new boundary will most likely see a major tax reduction based on the fact that the San Juan District has the second highest tax rate in the state.

Finally, San Juan officials wanted to make sure the residents in the new boundary will have a voice on the Grand County School District. Currently, board member Jim Webster and board president Kaaron Jorgen are the representatives in that region. Whether they will expand their representation to include the new residents remains a matter for Grand County and the school board to decide, GCSD board members said.

Officials from both districts will continue to hammer out the terms of any agreement while moving forward with discussions on the boundary line adjustment.