Opinion
OPINION: I’m an Alpine School District teacher, and I’m voting yes on Prop 11, the district split
Editor’s note: Proposition 11 is the ballot initiative to create the new “Central School District” including the cities of Lehi, Highland, Alpine, Cedar Hills, American Fork and the Utah County portion of Draper. If Proposition 11 is passed by an accumulated majority of voters in those cities, a new school district would be formed in 2025 and begin educating students in 2027.
I am an itinerant special education teacher who has worked for Alpine School District (ASD) for 18 years. In all, I have taught at 22 different schools in every grade, from preschool through ATEC (age 22). My wife is also an ASD teacher. We have the best jobs in the world and live in the Draper section of ASD.
I strongly believe that ASD achieved more with less than any district in the country. I love the people I work with and for. I want to be crystal clear that this split is not a referendum on people or their performance. Recently, some instances in ASD have affected my family personally and convinced me that smaller, local districts will be better for all stakeholders.
One of the arguments that I hear against splitting is that special programs would be eliminated, and students with special needs would be adversely affected. There is no factual basis for this belief. Many school districts are smaller than each of the three proposed new districts that offer the same special programs as ASD. Also, special programs in ASD are being eliminated and reduced right now. My wife’s special program class was almost eliminated before being spared at the last minute because of parent intervention. My children are in Dual Language Immersion, and these programs are seemingly on the table every year to be relocated, which affects their enrollment and retention. This year, ASD special education kindergarten classes were combined with upper grades, and several preschool classrooms were eliminated. Weekly aide hours have been reduced each of the last three years. No special program is guaranteed to continue in the current configuration.
Some suggest the equitable distribution of assets is another reason not to split, but that assumes equity currently exists. Several older schools in the Central area are seismically unsafe, filled with asbestos, have malfunctioning HVAC systems, inferior plumbing and face various other challenges. The constant need for new schools or rebuilds in other areas prevents these from being addressed.
Some people in the South are upset that they don’t get to vote on Prop 11. They might not understand that people in the central area do not get to vote on many issues that impact us. The high schools in the central area have 1,000 or more students than those in Orem. I would love for my kids’ high school to be smaller. Teachers and administrators knowing the names and faces of students is so valuable, and the data shows huge mental health benefits to teenagers. Central residents didn’t get to vote on these enrollment discrepancies.
Some people think that if Prop 11 fails, everything will remain the same. It won’t. ASD Programs are being reduced or cut. Employee insurance is getting worse. The ASD school board is not functioning as a unit. Future ASD bonds have no chance of passing because the needs of the three areas are so different. Residents will not support buildings and upgrades for people in other areas when their own children don’t get those same opportunities.
I don’t want to vote to close schools in the South or not build new ones in the West. Those residents should get to decide that for their own area. I want us to be able to choose to address needs in our area. Prop 11 will allow us to do that. With three districts focused on their own unique needs, we won’t have to compete against each other for funding and projects. It will also break up the wage monopoly in Utah County and increase teacher salaries. Taxes will be concentrated in our own communities for the specific needs of our schools. There will be fewer layers of administration because they will only oversee 30ish schools compared to 90+. All of the school board members will be from our area!
I will keep working hard for our students no matter the result of this vote, but for the best outcomes for students, teachers and taxpayers, vote YES on Prop 11!
Tim Zito
ASD Educator
Draper, UT (Suncrest)
