We, several parents and residents of Salt Lake City, are writing to express our unequivocal support for the Salt Lake City School District bond proposal, which SLC residents will have the opportunity to vote in this November 2024 election.

The Salt Lake City School District Board of Education called an election to ask voters for $730 million in general obligation bonds. Voting the bond will generate money that is secured by our SLC property taxes and that the school district can use only for capital projects (construction and property improvements).

730 million dollars is a huge amount of money, but we believe that the time has come and it is urgent to finance the selected projects with this money. West High School will be rebuilt. Highland High School will be rebuilt. A new athletic training facility will be built at East High School. Sustainability projects will be implemented throughout the school district to help meet lofty goals set by the Board of Education in the student-led effort to use 100% clean energy by 2030 and be 100% carbon neutral by 2040.

We believe that our Salt Lake City students deserve the opportunity to learn in 21st century facilities and are entitled to take advantage of the opportunities these facilities provide. New buildings will be safer for our students with fewer entry points, larger classrooms, more light and better circulation. The new buildings will provide better access to education with better technology and connectivity, laboratories and learning spaces. New buildings will be built for today’s students. We have seen new high schools being built around the Salt Lake Valley, and we want that for our students here.

The last time the Salt Lake City School District sought general obligation bonds for facilities improvements was in the late 1990s. Those bonds have been paid off, and the district is following a fairly conservative financial plan for paying for new buildings, including three elementary schools and the district office, using existing financing mechanisms. Unfortunately, given the cost of building a high school, it will take so long to save money to complete currently needed projects that current students’ children may not even benefit from the completion of reconstruction and sustainability measures. Voting on the bond will mean projects can start immediately. We believe this is a significant investment that will benefit our current students.

We believe it is important that all these projects are undertaken now, especially the rebuilding of West and Highland schools. The need is now and urgent. We have also seen demographic research on the student population in Salt Lake City. We do not believe that rebuilding West High and Highland will or should prevent continued discussions and work with the community and district on the benefits of West High or Glendale High.

A vote on the bond proposal would mean an increase in our property taxes of approximately $200 per year on a home valued at the city average of approximately $570,000. If your home is worth slightly above average, property taxes will cost you a little more. If your home is valued slightly lower, it will cost you slightly less. We believe the benefits to our students and our city will be worth an investment of approximately $20 per month.

We love our city. We love our students. We believe Salt Lake City students deserve the best educational opportunities. We support the Board of Education’s bond proposal. We ask that you vote FOR the bond on your ballot in this election.