Tax boost for Provo schools?

PROVO — Provo voters will be asked in June to increase taxes to pay for a new elementary school and upgrades at others.

The Provo School District's Board of Education wants voters to approve a $35 million bond issuance and a $1.5 million increase in the voted leeway property tax.

If the proposal is approved at the ballot box, property taxes on a $100,000 house would increase $70 over a three-year period.

Taxes on such a house would go up $22 in the first year. The next year, according to district officials, homeowners would see a $17 hike. Then, in the final year of the phase-in, taxes on the same house would rise $31.

The vote to seek the public-financing plan was unanimous. The board said the money would be used to build a new elementary school in the Lakeview neighborhood in west Provo and make improvements to existing schools.

Improvements would include the addition of classrooms, libraries and auditoriums, as well as renovations. The board also proposed to replace old windows with new energy-efficient ones.

Many Provo residents gathered at the district meeting to witness the vote. Several expressed their appreciation to the board for seeing their needs.

"Schools are a foundation for a neighborhood to focus on," west Provo resident Judy Kelch said.

Many west Provo residents pushed the board to build soon — and build large.

Board members said they did not want to be tied down to a timeline right now but did say the elementary in Lakeview should be built within two years.

While most residents are gaining something with the improvement of their schools, residents in the Grandview Elementary neighborhood may lose something large.

Unless there is substantial growth in the Lakeview neighborhood where the new elementary school is being built — or a compelling need elsewhere in the district — the school board may close Grandview Elementary once Lakeview Elementary is completed.

If Grandview closes, the money earmarked to Grandview for improvements will then be allocated to Provo High School, a school the board recognized as one with an abundance of needs.

The board said they do expect an increase in school attendance as new subdivisions are approved in west Provo where Lakeview is slated to be built.

"We're Utah," board member Carolyn Wright said. "We'll be running 90-95 percent (capacity)."

The national average for school capacity is around 85 percent, Wright said.

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