Alpine School District adopts 11.5% property tax increase despite citizen dissent

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Alpine School District approved an 11.5% property tax increase amid public dissent.
The increase aims to support capital needs and future district splits.
Critics argue against frequent hikes and alleged extravagant spending on school buildings.

AMERICAN FORK — Despite a tense public hearing that saw many residents speak against a proposed property tax increase, the Alpine School District's board of education on Tuesday voted to approve an 11.5% hike.

The board said the increase is to help meet capital needs now and when the three new school districts are operational, following a November 2024 vote that split the Alpine School District — the largest district in the state — into three separate districts.

"We have the opportunity now to do something that gives each new school board a strong starting position, instead of them needing to raise taxes sharply in two years," said board Vice President Stacy Bateman.

Jason Sundberg, the district's business administrator, said the net impact on a homeowner of the median home in the district would be about $28 a year.

Some residents spoke in favor of the increase, with Lia Collings saying she is "so for" the tax increase.

"I think we need to invest so much more money in our education," Collings said. "Even if the tax increase doesn't pass, I guess I could just tax myself and give my money to my school, but then those are going to go to the programs that I care about, and I don't think that's fair to other people."

Conversely, John Barrick called tax increases "an annual tradition at the Alpine School District," saying the district has proposed a hike seven of the last eight years.

"In 2022, voters soundly rejected your bond of $595 million. Last year, the voters voted to create three different school districts. These aren't isolated incidents; we're tired of business as usual. You are not being asked to cut classrooms or hurt students, you're being asked to prioritize and live within your means," Barrick said.

In Tuesday night's Truth in Taxation presentation, the board contended that the estimated $23 million a year brought in by these increases will be crucial to ensure the health and longevity of the soon-to-be-split district.

John Gadd agreed with Barrick and many others, saying he's been paying property taxes to the district for 25 years. He also accused the district of wasting money on "extravagant school buildings."

"When we go around and look at new school buildings in this school district, they have two- or three- or four-story glass entryways, and they have these huge glass courtyards," Gadd said. "I went to K-12 education in one-story buildings, and I got a great education because the buildings never taught me anything. It was the great teachers in those buildings who taught me. We don't need crystal palaces."

Along with what Gadd feels is wasteful spending, he also criticized the district for lining the pockets of its administrators.

"Last year, 55 administrators in Alpine made more than the governor of the state of Utah," Gadd continued.

Despite the many voices speaking against the tax increase, the board passed the measure by a 5-2 vote, with board members Emily Peterson and Sarah Beeson voting against the hike.

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