From Deseret News archives:
Nebo School District considers new bonds
1,000 more students a year fueling the need
"It's kind of in-the-discussion phase, but probably next year we would be looking at a bond election," said Tracy Olsen, the district's business administrator. "Next June, probably. You can have elections on the primary (which in 2007 will be Sept. 11) or in June."
Wednesday, the school board prepared for the issuance of up to $43 million in bonds — but they'll likely issue $35 million, and issue the remaining $8 million months later — for bidding on an electronic market Aug. 8.
The money will be used to finance the ongoing construction of Salem Hills High School in Salem, scheduled to open fall 2008, and Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork, scheduled to open fall 2009.
In a February 2004 election, the public authorized the school board to issue and sell $140 million in bonds to build the two high schools, which will cost nearly $40 million each, as well as Mapleton Junior High and six elementary schools.
The district also has been using bond money for school expansions and upgrades and to purchase property for future schools.
But last year district administrators said they had to cut back on property purchases because of unanticipated increases in construction costs.
"Right now, we're talking probably $120 million to $130 million," Olsen said.
The specific amount will be nailed down in the next six months, as the school board also discusses enrollment growth and where to build.
If the school board settles on a June bond election, it will host informational meetings with the community to explain how property taxes will increase, and how the bonds will finance new school construction.
The Nebo School District is one of the state's fastest growing, with almost 1,000 new students pouring into its schools a year, except for 2005 when some charter schools such as Spanish Fork's American Leadership Academy opened and snagged students from the district.
The district will need a handful of new elementary schools, Olsen said.
"It's not definite at this point," he said. "We probably need at least one or maybe two junior highs."
"We know they're coming; the exact location we don't know yet," said Collin Allan, school board vice president.
"I think that it's fairly obvious (in) west Springville, we'll need an elementary school there," he said. "And in the Spanish Fork area, the west area, we'll have something open there in the fall, Riverside (Elementary), but we'll probably need another one in that catchment area. And then it all depends on how fast it grows (by) Santaquin. We'll need them there."
In his 26 years on the school board, Allan said, "its seems like we've kind of always bonded, but we haven't had the rapid growth that we've had in the past five or six years. This has just been phenomenal, the growth we've had."
E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com
