Alpine School District's Board of Education can let somebody else make the tough decisions, like how to achieve world peace and how to balance the national budget.
That's just leaves them the little decisions, like how to school nearly 50,000 children in the district by the year 2000 and how to keep ahead of those children's needs for textbooks, classrooms and technology education.In a study session Tuesday, district administrators and Superintendent Steven C. Baugh spent three hours presenting options that include a $30 million to $75 million bond proposal and a phased voted leeway tax that could cost the owner of a $100,000 home as much as $66 annually after four years.
Baugh said the board set a goal in May to look at options for providing funding to meet the demands of the next four to 10 years.
"As we look at the information here, keep an open mind," suggested Baugh. "We do feel the need to build as we look at the needs for the next four years, but we also need to look at ongoing programs. You might call it a paradigm shift with a higher emphasis now being directed toward the need for ongoing funds."
Baugh said while it's important to build it's equally critical to provide programs that foster learning and feed children's minds. He said using the option of voted leeway could provide dollars for these needs.
"I think there's damage done to children in the Alpine School District when we don't do what we can in a reasonably prudent manner," said Baugh.
Baugh said while Alpine is doing slightly more than it has in the past, the district is still on the 36th rung of the 40 districts in the state in terms of how much is spent on each student's educational experience.
Jack McKelvy, district business administrator, said the district has spent $98 million in bonds to build two new high schools, two new middle schools and a couple of elementary schools.
But projections that simply mirror the 2 percent growth pattern shown in the district over the past decade means at least a new elementary school will be needed in Pleasant Grove in the Strawberry Pointe area and another on the border of Highland and Alpine. Shelley Elementary in American Fork is overcrowded as is Sego Lily in Lehi, even with the new Eaglecrest School just opened.
Construction in northeast Lehi, south American Fork, Manila, southwest Lehi, Vineyard, Cedar Valley and Lindon will create a need for schools in those areas, said Jack Reid, assistant superintendent of elementary schools.
In addition, most of the older schools in the district need major refurbishing and/or remodeling, said Reid.
The board may want to look at air conditioning more of the older buildings. Several buildings have safety concerns with parking and drop-off zones. The secondary schools need to stock more library books to be on par with other schools.
The wish list from district maintenance personnel totals $41 million and includes needs from electrical upgrades and new roofing and carpet. Some schools with modular units may need to be enlarged permanently, said Reid. The district currently has 386 classes being held in modular units.
Replacing those classrooms with brick-and-mortar classrooms would cost approximately $34 million.
"The point is, we are still growing," said McKelvy. "It isn't as if we haven't addressed some of the problems, but we still face some challenges."
Reid suggested the district move toward a single text policy to reduce the costs of buying books and create a consistency between schools. He said the district expenditure of $13 per student for texts is too low and should be closer to $30 a student.
Other issues that should be addressed include ongoing class size reduction, reducing or eliminating student fees, safety in the schools and how to support education with state-of-the-art technology.
Mike Robinson, district public relations spokesman, said the board will probably begin to discuss the specifics of priority needs and funding options as early as December.
If the district considers going for a bond election or a voted leeway to be phased in over a several-year period, that would be voted on in May. Decisions about that bonding would need to be made by March 5.
The district currently has a legal debt margin available to it of $179,098,980. Existing debt stands at $136,500,000.
The voted leeway could raise $9.3 million for books, air conditioning, class size reduction and the elimination of textbook fees if voters agreed to a tax rate increase from .0012 to the maximum allowed .0020.
Voters approved a $30 million bond issue in 1992 and a voted leeway. They also approved a $98 million bond in 1994.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Total student enrollment
Alpine School District
1985 34,165
1990 38.921
1995 42,763
1997 44,694
2000 47,537 (estimated)