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SANDY — Some middle school parents in Sandy and Draper are outraged. They say the Canyons School District is going back on its word and proposing changes to a bond they approved nearly two years ago.
"It seems like they're pulling the rug out from under us, from what we approved, and changing the situation," said Sandy resident Whit Johnson.
When it was proposed, Johnson voted in favor of a bond for the Canyons School District. It was to build the new Draper High School and rebuild and renovate aging schools.
It seems like they're pulling the rug out from under us, from what we approved, and changing the situation.
–Whit Johnson, Sandy resident
#johnson_quote
One of those up for renovation: Crescent View Middle School, where Johnson's children are currently on track to attend school. But that won't happen if a new proposal goes through.
"It seemed like, ‘OK, we can live with this. It's not perfect, but we'll go with it,' and we all just backed the bond," Johnson said. "Now this announcement Tuesday is troubling because they're throwing out all of that time and energy spent to find a workable solution and changing it."
Under the new proposal, Crescent View wouldn't be renovated; it would be closed. District officials say it would be "rebuilt" miles away in Draper.
The bond allotted for $18.5 million to renovate Crescent View. The price tag to build a new school: $32 million.
Mt. Jordan Middle School would be renovated, according to the new proposal, and Johnson's kids, who live in Draper, would be bussed there — away from their friends and neighborhood.
"That bond would have never passed if that was their plan," Johnson said.
But Canyons administrators say they're looking for the best way to use the money, and nothing has been decided yet.
"It's not a done deal," Canyons District spokeswoman Jennifer Toomer-Cook told KSL News Tuesday. "It's a proposal. It's a very new proposal, and the board is taking input now and will deliberate that as they go into their further discussions as they go into the boundary proposal."
Toomer-Cook said the district welcomes feedback from parents. It's not a bait and switch, she said. Rather, administrators are examining the plan to make sure it's the right move.
Some of the feedback the district has received is negative; some is positive. But Johnson says there's a bigger issue with the new proposal.
"They can represent to the public whatever will make it sound good, whatever they think will appease everybody," Johnson said, "and then they're going to take the money and do, it appears, whatever they want with it."
Toomer-Cook said if the proposal passes, the current Crescent View building would be used for other educational purposes.
The next school board meeting is March 6. But the agenda isn't out yet, so isn't known whether the proposal will be voted on during that meeting.