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So, here is what I'm asking. Take a minute to look through the figures on the Orem plan. Here is a link to the City Data that includes not just property tax, but also the amount the state provides per student. Property tax only makes up 25% of the total amount we get in funding. You will see that Orem brings in, on average: $6,140 per student. But on the spending side, Hillcrest (no Title 1 funding) spends $8,365 per student. Geneva (Title 1*) spends $8,062. Scera Park spends $6,235. In contrast, Highland spends $5,416; Cedar Ridge: $5,911; Alpine: $5,119. The district average for elementaries is $5,741.
On the website, there is a link where you can leave your feedback. If you have suggestions as to how to keep these Orem schools structurally sound, with greater educational options for the kids in those schools and not incur additional debt, I'm all ears! We looked at the numbers and put together our best plan, based on those numbers. Now, we need feedback. Do you like the plan? How can we improve the plan? Is there a way to accommodate the wishes of the parents in Orem and still provide for those kids in other parts of the district? Please pass this information along to anyone in the district boundaries. We'd love to hear your suggestions and your ideas! Please provide feedback before the end of October. For more information, read on!
The Orem Plan
The facts and figures of the Orem Plan can be found here. The original Infographic was created a month or so ago. After public comment and discussion, there have been options that are being discussed that differ. These are the "hotspots" but as the graphic indicates, these are current considerations, meaning that nothing has been decided yet. The board is looking at making a decision by the first November meeting.
Orem has a declining enrollment which has been going on since 1998. Orem also has many older schools with seismic (Geneva, Hillcrest, Scera Park) and other maintenance issues. Because of these considerations, the Board has considered consolidating some of the schools, and doing boundary changes and, in some cases, a rebuild of some of the schools. There are a few benefits to doing this consolidation. The first is to allow schools to have full grade levels and more than one or two classes per grade. This allows for teachers to work together. It also allows for more options for specialty classes. The second reason is so we can educate all the kids in our district in an equitable fashion. We can only spend each dollar one time. If we spend it in keeping older schools with declining enrollments open, that means we can't spend it on additional resources for those kids in Orem or in other parts of the district. The overhead in opening and maintaining an elementary school is around $780,000 per year. Two other things to keep in mind are class sizes and employees. The overall class size shouldn't increase much at all. A Hillcrest-Scera Park combination shows a projection of between 23 - 28, depending on the grade. And no employees will be let go. We have so many employment needs throughout the district that any employees in the consolidated schools would simply be able to find employment in another school in the district. As for the teachers, they could move with their class. So, most, if not all, of the teachers who are currently at Hillcrest and Scera Park would continue to work at the consolidated school.
So, back to why you should care: wherever we spend one dollar means we can't spend it somewhere else. That means, we can maintain and rebuild schools in Orem with 350 - 450 students (even though they were originally built for 700 or more). If we do that, we will need to raise property taxes in a subsequent bond AND build the necessary schools in the high growth areas like Lehi, Saratoga Springs, and Eagle Mountain.
The majority of parents who responded to a survey in Geneva want to stay together. There isn't room in any of the existing schools to keep them all together. So it would require a rebuild of Geneva alone or an addition to or a rebuild of an existing school like Suncrest. Hillcrest wants its school fixed and then a rebuild of Scera Park, without consolidation. Incidentally, Scera Park parents appear to be in favor of consolidation. If we were to consolidate and sell the Hillcrest property, then we could put that money toward the rebuild of Scera Park. I don't remember the amounts, but it would allow for a portion of the cost to be paid outright. The remaining amount could be taken from other parts of the budget, without waiting for a bond and without incurring debt. From a fiscal perspective, this makes the most sense. On the flip side, rebuilding all the elementaries would require significant cost and a new bond. A new elementary school is $16 -18 million. That's an additional $16 million that would need to be added to a bond for EACH of those schools. (Arguably, Hillcrest's seismic needs are less than $16 million, but they are probably close to half of that.) So, whatever amount is necessary for Lehi and the West and on-going maintenance in the rest of the district, without consolidation, we would have a minimum of $32,000,000 more and possibly closer to $40,000,000 more to maintain these Orem schools as they are. Additionally, the soonest any of those schools could be rebuilt (without consolidation) would be 2021, assuming the passage of a 2020 bond. That leaves a minimum of 4 years with students in schools that have structural issues. I'm not comfortable with either of those scenarios. So, help us figure out what the best options are. Make sure to fill out the Feedback form and to share it with your friends and neighbors in the district!
*Title 1 monies are federal funds that assist low income schools. I am unsure whether these Title 1 funds are included in the chart on the website or not. Title 1 could account for some of the increased expenses for those schools that receive Title 1 funding.
Wendy, thanks for posting this information. Lots of good information here.
ReplyDeleteA few clarifications... most parents at Hillcrest don't want a new school. They feel the district has done a wonderful job at keeping our schools safe. The cost to address Hillcrest seismic issues is just over $1M (according to reports in 2007 after the seismic study was done), not $8M as suggested here. Much of the work is complete. Hillcrest is scheduled for a new roof in 2020 and will receive a new diaphragm (seismic upgrade) at that time as it was deemed not pressing. This information comes from the district.
Hillcrest per student numbers are higher because 1) there are only 2 classes per grade rather than 3 or 4 classes per grade (administration costs are spread over fewer schools), and 2) they include expenses for the special education program. Yes, they are higher than the district average, but not as high as this data suggests.
Orem tax payers have consistently contributed more than they get back. This includes bonds and operating expenses.
What about the ~$90 Million dollars more that Orem tax payers have spent on bonds since 2001 than they have received benefit from? Orem citizens have already paid for several schools in North Utah County.
I would love to chat with you about the district's latest info about the operational costs of Orem schools. The initial overview is that Orem is being subsidized by ~$5.6 Million dollars a year. However, that doesn't tell the full story for several reasons:
1 – All expenses for the specialty high schools (Summit High and Polaris High) that cost $5.4 Million dollars are all allocated to Orem when those schools benefit the whole district. Take those out and its close to a wash.
2 - The expenses related to Title I schools are allocated to Orem but those numbers are juxtaposed against Orem property taxes. Title I money comes from the federal government. Add that back in and we're likely running a significant surplus. In another document, Rob Smith shared that Orem receives $7.5 M in Title I funds.
3 - The expenses also include expenses related to educating Vineyard students for Jr. High and High School and Lindon students for High School. To get a clear picture you need to either combine the property tax revenue and expenses for those cities with Orem or remove those expenses when you are looking at the net. In other words, a larger surplus.
The message that I'm hearing is that yes, Orem Schools are smaller right now. However, Orem pays more than its share in both bond money and also in the operating expenses from year to year.
I'll try to catch you before or after the meeting to share what I know. Thanks!
Thanks. The in-depth seismic study has much more involved for both Hillcrest and Sharon. I'm going to look through my stuff to find the one that isn't just the "drive-by" study. And yes, it is exactly one of the foundational issues that the smaller number of classes increases the operational costs. Title 1 is also interesting in that the Title 1 total amounts come from throughout the district, but are spent only in the Title 1 designated schools. I don't think the Title 1 is included but am checking. I have asked to see the Title 1 funds broken out by school and by area. #3- Good points. I'll double check the property tax stuff and see if they are included. I have been looking specifically at the elementary level. My biggest concern is the seismic problems. Even if everything else were a wash, the seismic is a huge issue for me.
DeleteThank you for this summary. I am a Hillcrest parent and support the consolidation. There are in fact many Hillcrest parents who see the proposal as an opportunity to make both our school and Scera Park stronger. This consolidation is a responsible solution for the long term.
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