Ogden defeats school bond

Voters in Ogden Tuesday slammed the door on a $156 million bond for new facilities.

But North Summit and Rich School District officials were smiling Tuesday night after their respective bonds were approved by voters. As of press time, Nebo voters were leaning heavily in support of a $140 million bond.

The Ogden bond was rejected by nearly a 2-1 margin, with 5,269 voting against the bond and 2,426 in approval.

Without that money, the district's schools will remain inadequate for student needs, superintendent Catherine Ortega said. The majority of the district's schools are aged and not fit for a technological era.

"When you have plumbing and electrical needs, and you're trying to instruct kids and you don't have sufficient lighting and ventilation, it's very hard to teach," Ortega said.

Teachers in some schools can't even power up their computers at the same time for fear of tripping the electrical breaker, Ortega said.

Ogden High School, which is listed on the National Historic Register, will have to wait for a face-lift despite its visible cracks.

The $156 million bond also would have funded the replacement 14 of the district's 15 elementary schools as well as Ben Lomond High School.

District spokesman Marshal Garrett said 75 percent of those buildings were built between 1951 and 1963, with the oldest dating back to 1926.

Residents would have paid $121 more taxes per year on a $100,000 home.

Voters made the right decision, officials at the Utah Taxpayers Association said. If they had passed the bond, Ogden District taxpayers would have shouldered the highest school district property tax in the state, said Chad Vanderlinden, a research analyst for the group.

"There is a need there — we can't deny that," Vanderlinden said. "But a $156 million bond is pretty ambitious and pretty frightening economically."

The taxpayers association opposed all four bonds, saying districts should have waited until November when more voters come to the polls instead of holding a special election in February.

Nebo: In Utah County, voters in Nebo School District appeared to be supporting a $140 million bond and accompanying leeway tax issue in early returns Tuesday night. With that money, the district could build 10 new schools to handle the continuing flood of students.

As of press time, voters were saying yes at a nearly 2-1 pace with some districts reporting turnout of nearly 70 percent of registered voters.