Nebo vote is Tuesday

SPANISH FORK — The effectiveness of dozens of town meetings and thousands of brochures will be tested Tuesday when voters living in the Nebo School District decide whether to OK a $140 million bond and an accompanying voted leeway tax.

The message behind the bond that would build 10 new schools is a consistent drumbeat — schools in southern Utah County are overcrowded, and the existing classroom space can't possibly keep up with the continuing flood of incoming students.

In 1980, Nebo had a student population of 12,590. This year's enrollment has reached 23,900 and is expected to increase beyond 33,000 by the year 2010. The district has more students per capita than any other district in the state.

"Everyone has a stake in education," Nebo Superintendent Carl Nielson said. "If people quit bonding, we quit building."

The voted leeway measure on Tuesday's ballot would allow the district to increase the property tax to provide $2.9 million annually to the district. That money is earmarked to cover the increase in operations and maintenance that will come with the new schools.

Nielson said he has given 62 public presentations involving 2,000 district patrons since September to explain the bond and leeway issue. The district mailed a pamphlet to nearly 28,000 homes, and a brochure was provided by private donors and the Nebo Foundation.

"The bond and leeway are critical," said Lana Hiskey, Nebo District spokeswoman. Other alternatives would focus on extended-day or year-round schools, increased class sizes and the use of portable classrooms.

"There has been a lot of positive response," Hiskey said. "The only people who would oppose the bill are people who don't have kids and who have fixed incomes. (But) everyone benefits from an educated student."

The district is proposing to build two new high schools — one in Salem and the other in the Mapleton/east Spanish Fork area. The existing Springville middle school would be converted to an elementary, and a new junior high would be built in Mapleton. Seven elementary schools would be built in the areas with excessive growth. A total of 10 new schools will be needed by 2010.

"We're a very conservative district," Hiskey said. "We've been out and about looking at other schools, and we're not looking to spend an exorbitant amount of money."