Alpine District may split in 3

To secure passage of bond proposals, which increase property taxes to pay for school construction and renovation, Alpine's board has promised work on schools across the district, Cox said.

"The district has made a lot of decisions, but politically they did it to buy votes to pass the last bond," Cox said. "It becomes so bureaucratic that no one is responsible."

District officials don't deny the complications of running a large school district — but say students haven't suffered.

"The move to split is not coming from the Board of Education," said Alpine School Superintendent Vern Henshaw. "I feel that Alpine District is a very efficient district at this time."

But Cox and his supporters cite research showing a correlation between high test scores and small school districts.

"I think that the root of the problem that we're having in education is that our cities have gotten so big and, consequently, our school districts," Cox said. "Our schools are no longer community-run, which causes the people not to be involved."

Educational theories aside, it is up to the Utah County Commissioner's office to decide if the proposal progresses.

According to the bill, 4,500 signatures are necessary before the commissioners can form a committee to study the issue. After completing the study — which would have to include an in-depth look at how the divided districts would be funded — the commission would then determine if the proposal would be voted on in the next general or municipal election.

Petition signatures must be submitted by Dec. 1, in order to be on the November 2004 ballot. If passed, the proposed districts could be formed by the start of the 2005-2006 school year.

Cox hopes the proposal will survive the journey. "And we wonder why we had the Columbine incident," Cox said. "Some kids get by. Others end up being nobodies. Some pick up a gun."

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For more information:

www.smallerschools.com

Orem committee — 426-5161

Northern Utah County committee — 768-8759

E-MAIL: lsanderson@desnews.com