The Weber School District’s plans for a bond came to a head Tuesday evening when voters, according to unofficial results, decided overwhelmingly to support issuance of the bonds. The early results show 15,282 votes (60.53%) for the bond and 9,966 (34.7%) against.

“Based on the preliminary numbers, we are very appreciative that voters have approved the bond, and we’re excited to move forward with building the new schools,” Lane Findlay, WSD spokesperson, said in a statement to the Standard-Examiner.

According to Findlay, the district will begin construction on a new high school in Taylor immediately and take approximately two and a half years to finish the project. He added that a project to build a new junior high school in West Haven will start in spring 2022 and an elementary school that fall. The plan is for all three schools to be ready for the 2024-25 school year.

The full bond will cost $279 million and, as was stressed repeatedly by the district, will not include any increase in the tax rate. The construction of the new high school was deemed necessary because of continued growth in the area and the current enrollment statuses of the district’s schools.

The bond was first discussed in a February work session which outlined the need for new schools and additional renovations. “We looked at our enrollment, growth and patterns of growth throughout the school district, as well as looked at some of our facilities that are getting to approach 60-70 years of age, and where they are as far as being effective facilities to be able to educate kids,” Superintendent Jeff Stephens said at the February meeting.

The school board voted to advance the bond at its Aug. 4 meeting. In August, a survey of 916 likely voters was presented by Y2 Analytics which showed 60% support for the bond. An in-house survey of 5,881 people — which included parents, teachers and other members of the public — had 71.7% support.

People were given the chance to submit arguments for and against the bond proposal from Aug. 9 through Sept. 3. By the end of the reporting period, there were no arguments against the proposal shared.

The proposal also includes the renovation of Roosevelt Elementary School, which was built in 1957 and was determined to be the school most in need of a rebuild.

“We can see the need. And anybody who drives through, especially the western part of Weber County, sees the need,” Stephens said in August.

The rebuild will be done on site and, according to Findlay, will take place from early 2024 until the summer of 2026.

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