With our economy in the drunk tank, it can be aggravating to ponder the seemingly incessant calls for more money to pay for “government things.”
I’m glad I’m not a Davis County voter faced with the latest significant local tax question: Whether to pass a $250 million bond to pay for more schools. Enrollment growth is inexorable in the exploding suburbia of Davis, adding 1,000 more students each year for as far as we can see.
School officials are piling portable classrooms outside crowded schools, but that can go only so far, and officials say the portables cost twice as much to operate as permanent buildings.
The Nov. 3 bond question should not be a surprise. The district has floated a bond measure every few years to keep up with the growth. But voters may be confused in the ballot box, because the wording of this year’s proposal describes the $250 million plan as a tax increase. Well, it is, but it isn’t. If the bond fails, the old bond taxation levels won’t be renewed and no new buildings will go up. A “yes” vote keeps the tax bill at the current rate but gives the district authority to issue more construction bonds over the next few years.
The Utah Taxpayers Association, which historically loves to oppose tax issues, has taken a neutral stance on the Davis plan. It acknowledges enrollment growth but grumbles about the size of the bond.
A decent education system is one key to getting the economy back on its feet and keeping it there. Consider this: Davis officials report the dropout rate is running at 10 to 15 percent in the district. That’s awful, but not as frightening as in some urban districts. Every student needs a chance, a chance to avoid becoming an economic statistic.
I tend to give Davis’s current proposal a passing grade, as a prudent package to keep the bulging system growing. But it’s not my tax burden. Davis taxpayers, you decide.
