Opinion by Scott Lewis, Midway Boosters
I came into last night’s school bond discussion undecided. As planner of the town hall, and as moderator for the evening, I purposely had avoided immersing myself in the back and forth on this issue before-hand so I could remain neutral and be educated. I’m still not 100% sure how I will vote but after the discussion, I found myself leaning towards a No vote on the bond. I have a number of takeaways from the discussion:
1. This bond will put us in the unenviable #1 position in the state for debt load per capita.
2. Part of the money raised will likely be used to buy more land for more schools which means more bonds further increasing our debt and our tax load.
3. Small schools are great for extracurricular opportunities but not necessarily for curriculum opportunities. It’s not possible to offer as wide a range of STEM, AP, language, and technical classes in small schools.
4. We are spending significant treasure duplicating athletic resources such as football stadiums, and basketball courts vs increasing classroom and common space.
5. Our growth statistics are not what I thought they were. From the districts own statistics, every elementary school in the district is flat or negative growth. I believe it’s the same for middle schools (Do your own homework). This points to a lot of the growth in the district being 2nd homes, and established families without young children, likely due to home prices.
6. With current low interest rates, and escalating construction costs, YES we should be bonding to raise capital for school construction while the opportunity is here. How much money, and for what use is another question.
7. A smaller bond that allowed us to fix up the west campus for 9th Graders, enlarge Wasatch High and refurbish Midway Elementary seems viable, and fiscally responsible.
8. Having ninth graders at west campus could be a great solution. They can take advantage of being next door to the high school for advanced classes, and athletic opportunities, while having their own campus to make the transition from middle school to high school.
9. Many people approached me after the event last night wishing we had a third option, other than yes or no. That tells me they support bonding for education, but don’t think this is the right bond. The third option does exist. It is to vote no, and immediately engage as a community to help define and support a new revised bond ASAP.
10. People are genuinely worried about overspending. They’ve had it drilled into them to avoid debt and have lived through recessions where they lost everything, including their homes. And they know it can, and will likely happen again. Their property taxes are ballooning and incomes aren’t keeping up with inflation. Looking forward to a series of large bonds leaves them concerned that they will eventually be forced to move out of the valley they love.
11. Last night proved to me that we can have amazing discussions, exchange ideas, and even disagree, without being disagreeable and unkind to each other. We can accomplish so much more as a community if we are less entrenched in being right and more resigned to listen to each other and find common ground. And, it’s not hard to find common ground. It’s right under our feet. If you’ve read this far, you deserve a gold star and an A+ for effort.
