When Christi Christensen arrived as principal at Wilson Elementary in South Salt Lake, some of her students dreaded school breaks. Not because they loved homework.

"At school, students could count on breakfast and lunch," Christensen said in a Promise Partnership Utah analysis published Tuesday, Aug. 25. "Over a long weekend or holiday break, some were left unsure where their meals would come from."

That food insecurity problem led Christensen to start knocking on doors. A bowling alley across the street began hosting sixth-grade field trips. Police officers ate lunch with students. Businesses donated meals. She didn't know it at the time, but she was building what educators now call a community school.

Today, Christensen is director of community schools for Granite School District, where she oversees coordinators at seven campuses, including James E. Moss Elementary in Millcreek. Her job: make sure principals don't have to hold those community networks together alone.

Promise Partnership Utah's analysis credits that model as a concrete example of the "social cohesion" that economist Phil Dean called Utah's "secret sauce" after U.S. News & World Report named Utah the best state for the fourth consecutive year on July 28. The ranking draws on 71 metrics across eight categories, including education, health care and the economy. Utah didn't dominate any single category but performed consistently well across all of them.

The analysis argues social cohesion isn't a fixed cultural trait but something communities build on purpose through partnerships like Granite's.

How the model works in Granite schools

Christensen was appointed to the director role effective July 1, 2025, according to Granite School District board records. United Way funds the position and requested an administrator with community school experience. Christensen was recommended based on her work with the South Salt Lake Promise initiative.

Community school coordinators now serve at Kearns Network schools, Cottonwood High School, Granite Park Jr. High, Moss Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Elementary, Olene Walker Elementary and Lincoln Elementary. The coordinators build relationships with families and local partners so resources reach students without principals shouldering that work.

"Principals shouldn't have to do that," Christensen said. "There should be a system in place."

Scale of the need

Granite is Utah's third-largest district, serving roughly 58,000 students across about 80 schools. Approximately half qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. As of May 2026, the district's school lunch debt exceeded $940,000, according to Millcreek Journal reporting, with cafeterias providing 7,500 breakfasts and 24,500 lunches daily.

Superintendent Ben Horsley framed the challenge in a May 29 Promise Partnership Utah case study on high school graduation: "Our experience has shown that schools can't do it alone, and having a backbone partner helps make sure students and families get the supports they need so schools can focus on learning."

The community schools program is part of Promise Partnership Utah's broader goal of ensuring 100% of students in South Salt Lake and West Millcreek graduate high school on a college or career path and have their basic needs met by 2028.

Moss Elementary families looking for information about their school's community coordinator can visit graniteschools.org/community-school.