School funds debated
Provo District is seeking tax increase for education projects
One measure asks permission to issue $35 million in bonds for two new schools and remodeling and upgrades at existing schools.
The second measure asks for permission to increase the voted leeway to generate an extra $1.5 million.
If the bond and leeway are both approved by a majority of voters on June 27, property taxes on a $100,000 house would increase $65 over a three-year period.
Voices in favor
About 13,000 children attend school in Provo, a city with a population of about 115,000. So if the majority of the city's residents do not have children, why should they care about the local school system?
"Because they're citizens of this community and they live here," Provo School District Superintendent Randy Merrill said.
Additionally, Merrill said, "Good schools sustain a city."
Schools help keep high the property values of nearby houses. Good schools attract good families, the superintendent said.
"So schools become anchors for neighborhoods and communities," Merrill said.
William Sederburg, president of Utah Valley State College in Orem, supports Provo's bond issuance and leeway increase proposal because he believes it will help the overall economic health of the area.
"Provo needs highly educated people to drive the economy," said Sederburg, whose wife is a employee of the Provo district. "It's not important just for the city, but for the whole city and the region."
Voices that question
Merrill and other administrators from the district pleaded their case in May to the Utah Taxpayers Association.
The association has taken a neutral position on Provo district's bond election, said Mike Jerman, association vice president.
In general, the Utah Taxpayers Association approves of Provo School District's budget in which 74 percent of funds are spent on instructional needs such as salaries, benefits, textbooks.
The taxpayers association, however, does object to the timing of the election. "Bond elections should be held in November when voter turnout is higher," Jerman said.
Ten to 20 percent of registered voters across Utah are expected to vote in next week's primary.
In Provo, turnout could be higher than normal for a primary because of the competitive 3rd Congressional District race between Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, and John Jacob.
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