Joint School Board and City Council Meeting

Dixon Middle School

The Provo City Council held a joint meeting with the Provo School District several weeks ago week in the City Council conference room.  I was present at the meeting and enjoyed the discussion.  The Council staff posted a summary of the meeting on their blog that you can find here.

A couple of takeaways for me:

1) This needs to happen regularly and with this level of detailed discussion.  I understand these meetings are scheduled on a quarterly basis. The two bodies need to be communicating regularly and in detail.  While each serves a different purpose they still represent the same people - the citizens of Provo.

2) The current safety and condition of our public schools is the most important issue facing Provo as a whole right now (and few people even realize it).  The Council and the Mayor have been diligently working on a solution for road maintenance and construction.  This is clearly in their sphere of responsibility and I believe they are on the right track with the Utility Transportation Fund proposal.  But those dollars pale in comparison to the $132,000,000 need the School District has for school repair and replacement.

That's right over $130,000,000 in need! To put things in perspective the Rec Center bond was for $39,000,000.

Part of me is shocked that we're at this level of need.  But if you've been in several of our city's schools you will know they are in serious disrepair. Just as part of the campaign process I've been in three of our schools that left me bewildered at their condition - Rock Canyon Elementary, Wasatch Elementary, and Dixon Middle School (where my children are likely to attend) are old and in need of serious work.  Our children need a safe environment to learn and safety when it comes to our children is one thing I AM NOT willing to compromise on. 

The District is finalizing their numbers but they believe they need $90m to bring our city's schools up to par.  The gap between the $130m and $90m as I understand it will be made up in money already budgeted for maintenance and partly from money that would be saved by doing the repairs and updates now.

3) This is a game changer for the future of Provo.  If the City's residents approve the $90m bond (it would require a public vote in 2014) that adds a significant burden on us as taxpayers.  The City Council and Administration need to recognize this and that will have a real impact on the City's options for future plans.  Including projects such as rebuilding the fire station on North Canyon Road and future plans for the city center - both projects discussed at this meeting. 

As someone with a young family this is very important to me. I believe this is a classic "need vs wants" situation and this clearly falls within the "need" category.  We all need to start paying attention and get both informed and involved. I've had several conversations with various members of the School Board who are sincere, informed, and passionate about our children's eduction. Seeing the need that the District faces and given the data that's been presented so far I am inclined to support the District's bond efforts.   Certainly, the District will be coming forward with their formal plans and the details need to be discussed, but this is a big deal and we need to start paying attention and getting informed. Visit Provo.edu for the latest information.