CREATION

In compliance with a petition from the residents of Murray City to Governor John C. Cutler, a proclamation was issued on July 1, 1905, designating Murray as "a city of the second class." This declaration made Murray eligible to establish a school district under the provision of the 1890 territorial free school law. Almost immediately, the city was divided into five municipal wards for the purpose of electing a board of education. An election was held the following December and newly elected members of the Board of Education took office on January 1, 1906. The board at once appointed a supervisor who had charge of all the schools and school work for the remaining part of the 1905-1906 school year. At the first meeting of the board in June 1906 a superintendent of schools was elected for two years. The mission statement reads: "The mission of Murray City School District is to work in partnership with families in the education of our youth for a changing world." [Policies, Rules and Regulations, The Board of Education of Murray City, GS02 (rev. 13 Sept. 1995), viewed on Murray School District world wide web site, May 2002.]

FUNCTIONS

The Murray City School system conducts an educational program for kindergarten and grades one through twelve, organized into elementary, junior high and senior high schools. The district has 11 schools--7 elementary schools (grades K-6), 2 junior high (grades 7-9), one high school (grades 10-12), and one alternative high school. Murray is a city with a population of about 35,000, located in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley. Spanning approximately 43 blocks north to south (4500 South to 6600 South) and approximately 14 blocks east to west (900 East to the Jordan River and the North Jordan Canal), Murray City encompasses nine and a half square miles. The boundaries of the district are the same as the city limits. Although Murray City School District covers fewer square miles than any of the state's 40 school districts, it is the 14th largest in number of students enrolled. Reported enrollment for the 2001-2002 school year is 6,358. When the district was created in 1905, enrollment was 953.

ADMINISTRATION

The district is governed by a five-member, elected Board of Education. Voters in each of the district's five precincts elect one member to serve as their representative on the Board of Education. School board elections are held in November in conjunction with the general election. The board members elect a president and vice president at the time new members are sworn into office at the first board meeting in January. The district is also subject to the general oversight of the Utah State Office of Education. The superintendent appointed by the board is the executive officer of the board.

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The superintendent is appointed by the board and works under the direction of the board. An assistant superintendent oversees curriculum and instruction. Together, these officers supervise the directors of Technology & Applied Technology Education, Curriculum K-12, and At Risk Programs. Directors of Personnel & Pupil Services and Special Services & Purchasing report to the superintendent. The district also employs a business administrator. The principal is the administrative officer and instructional leader of the school, working directly under the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction.

Murray residents objected to the consolidation of Salt Lake County Schools in 1905, which would have split the population of the newly incorporated city (residing in county school districts 24 and 25) between Granite District on the north and Jordan District on the south. Through annexation, the population of Murray was increased above the necessary threshold to qualify as a city of the second class. Thus, Murray (which was incorporated in 1902 as a city of the third class) gained the authority to establish its own city school district.