11 Reasons to Vote YES on Prop 11

Residents of Lehi, American Fork, Highland, Alpine, Cedar Hills, and Draper-Suncrest have an important decision to make this fall. This decision could be beneficial to the area for generations to come, but residents need to be looking at the big picture. Long term, voting for Prop 11 will result in better results for students, teachers, and residents. Let’s look at the top 11 reasons to vote YES on Prop 11.

1. Differences in Community Needs

The needs of each area in the district are drastically different. Wise residents would recognize that local leadership is needed to make decisions about how to address the local needs.

2. Tax Savings

The study done by LRB Public Finance Advisors concluded that central district residents would see tax savings relative to staying with Alpine School District (ASD). Right now, the central area produces the most tax revenue, but receives the least per student. A local district would keep all property tax revenue in local schools.

3. Diseconomies of Scale

Research has consistently shown that huge school districts (over 50k students) suffer from diseconomies of scale. More bureaucracy, more middle management, and more red tape leads to poor performance and results. ASD currently has 85k students, and will only continue to grow.

4. Growth

Communities like Lehi, Eagle Mountain, and Saratoga Springs have experienced exponential growth, and that isn’t going away. ASD has not been able to keep up with the growth, in part because the east side has not been seeing and experiencing the phenomenon first hand.

5. Programs Being Moved or Changed

ASD has been trying to make changes to programs like Advanced Learning Lab (ALL), Dual Language Immersion (DLI), and Special Education (SPED) for several years now. Residents of the Lone Peak area have been successful so far in maintaining their program, but there are no guarantees that ASD won’t move these programs in the future.

6. Local Representation and Control

A huge district can make decisions that are unpopular in one area because it has to make choices for the district as a whole. A more localized district would be more responsive to residents and parents.

7. School Closures

Several elementary schools, including Lehi, Alpine, Lindon, and Windsor, are facing school closures because of declining enrollment. Closing schools has been shown to be detrimental to communities – especially minorities – but regardless, the decisions should be made by residents of those communities, not by residents of other communities.

8. Board Dysfunction

The ASD School Board has stopped functioning as a cohesive unit and has become polarized because one side (the west side) has consistently been willing to be flexible and work for all sides of the district, but the east side has been hesitant to approve projects and needs for the west side. Additionally, board member districts are already larger than Utah State House Representative districts. This limits many residents from serving on the board and distances board members from their constituents.

9. Residents Choosing Alternates

There are plenty of students in ASD that are not currently attending because parents are increasingly opting for charter schools, home schools, and other alternatives for their students. This is most likely because ASD is not meeting the needs of the students. A district closer to parents could result in more parents choosing to keep their students in local public district schools.

10. Better Competition for Teachers

Right now, ASD has a monopoly on teachers in north Utah County. Splitting the district into 3 could result in all districts creating more attractive options for teachers in terms of both pay and benefits.

11. Prop 14 is likely to pass; ASD would be dissolved

As we get closer to election day, it is looking increasingly likely that the residents of Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs will vote to approve Prop 14. This would create a new school district for the west and would dissolve ASD in 2027, regardless of the result of Prop 11. It would be prudent to divide ASD while a division is already taking place instead of kicking the can down the road and possibly seeing another split in just a few years.

Vote YES on Prop 11!