The Davis School District will have a $250 million bond proposition on the ballot Nov. 3. The bond will assist the district in building new schools and improving existing schools. Just like bond measures passed in 1997, 2002 and 2006 (the 2006 and 2002 bonds passed by a margin of 79% and 89%), a vote for the 2009 bond would not increase the current debt tax rate.
Davis School District is one of the fastest growing in the state. We are growing at a rate of 1000 students per year. Two new elementary schools, 1 junior high, or 2/3 of a high school are necessary for every 1000 new students entering the Davis School District. Without the new buildings, Davis School District would need to utilize more than the 300 portable classrooms currently in use to cope with this growth.
Some voters may be given cause to pause when they enter the ballot booth and read the language explaining the bond. The ballot reads that the tax on a $252,000 residence would increase by $156.93 per year with the passage of the bond. Because the bond tax rates won’t slowly drop over time as existing bonds are paid off and will instead remain the same, recent legislation requires the district to advertise that the bonds are a tax increase. Without the bond, taxes would decrease gradually. By 2018, the cumulative decrease would be $156.93 on a $252,000 home stated on the ballot.
The bond would be used for:
• Construction of a new junior high school in western Kaysville.
• Construction of new elementary schools in western Layton, West Point and a location to be determined.
• A rebuild of Wasatch Elementary with a total of 30 classrooms.
• Construction of a special-education school for medically fragile students and 18- to 22-year-old students.
• Addition of classrooms to Millcreek Junior High, Woods Cross High School, South Weber Elementary and Layton High School.
• Purchase of property for future school sites..
For more information about the bond and why the district is asking voters to approve it, go to www.davis.k12.ut.us/district/2009_bond.
I have to agree it is a good time to buy property for future schools. And there has been a great deal of construction in west Kaysville. I usually vote against school bonds just to show that there is token resistance to the automatic approval of anything that is marked “eduction” or “school”. However, I will have to think about this one. Thank you for the information.
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