Utah County school district rejected

AMERICAN FORK — An ad hoc advisory committee appointed by the Utah County Commission voted against recommending the formation of the proposed Pioneer school district during its final meeting Wednesday night in Alpine.

The proposed district would have been carved from the Alpine School District and would have included the area currently contained within the Lehi High School boundaries.

Of the seven committee members, five voted against the proposition and one voted in favor. One member, Rob Smith, abstained from voting as a neutral party representing the Alpine School District.

"Now is the time, the window is open now," said David Cox, the lone committee member who voted in favor of the split. Cox, a member of the Utah House of Representative serving the Lehi area, was the sponsor of a state law that allows such school district partitions. "If this proposal fails, I think we will not get another chance . . . to grow, we must divide."

The committee reached the decision at the conclusion of a six-month research period that began Jan. 6. During that time, members of the committee examined studies from other school districts, compiled a survey of public opinion, reviewed information from the State Board of Education, the Utah Taxpayers Association and other associations. It also commissioned an independent study by the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University on the social and financial impacts of the decision.

The committee will present its findings to the County Commission at 9 am on June 29. A 45-day public comment period, required by state law, will follow.

"It's important to note that no matter what recommendation we make, the next step is the public comment," said Gaylord Swim, head of the ad hoc committee.

A copy of the executive report from the committee and from the Marriott School of Management will be available at the County Commission office, Alpine School District office, Lehi city offices and the Orem public library. A Web-site, www.utahcountyonline.org, will also allow public comments to be filed online.

"Someone who doesn't have access to a computer can go to the library and make comments on the county Web site," said Geneel Scott, committee secretary and County Commission representative. "Or they can write letters."

The potential school district split has some community members concerned about the tax increases they might encounter as a result. Some schoolteachers and parents plan to present a petition they have generated in opposition to the proposed split.

"It's physically irresponsible," said David Bonner, the Democratic nominee running against Cox in House District 56. "There's no way. We have no tax basis to support this. I know we have issues with the Alpine District, but my solution is to address those issues instead of separate ourselves from the district."

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