Alpine School District is holding a public hearing on March 19 to consider a $175 million revenue bond for the construction of the new high school in Saratoga Springs.

Last October, the school district purchased 50 acres of land in Saratoga Springs from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the new high school. That purchase cost just under $13 million, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The consideration of the bond comes after lawmakers passed legislation to cap the amount of lease revenue bonds a local government entity can issue in a three-year period.

The legislation, which goes into effect May 1 if signed by the governor, prevents a local government subdivision, like a school district, from issuing more than $200 million in lease revenue bonds over a three-year span.

Last January, the school district issued a $90 million revenue bond for the construction of a new middle school in Eagle Mountain. A new Eagle Mountain elementary school, Desert Sky Elementary, finished construction and opened in August 2023.

While that legislation, Senate Bill 86, was being considered, an advocacy group began circulating a letter to Gov. Spencer Cox asking him to veto the bill due to concerns that it would prevent the construction of new schools in Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain.

Saratoga Springs has been growing in the past years, with the population going up 30% between 2020 and 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The Eagle Mountain population also has grown by about 25% between 2020 and 2022.

Westlake High School, Saratoga Springs’ only high school, is anticipated to increase by almost 600 students by 2028, according to district projections. The high school had about 2,800 students in 2023.

Enrollment at Cedar Valley High School, which serves Eagle Mountain and Cedar Valley students, is projected to increase by about 550 students in 2028.

In 2022, citizens voted against a $595 million bond that would have been used to construct six new schools in Lehi, Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs, as well as various rebuild and renovation projects.

Alpine School District currently is in the midst of a district reconfiguration study that includes exploring district split options. The district board heard the first presentation on the study on Feb. 27, with presenters providing six draft options for configuration, five of which included a split.

Three public meetings are being held this week on the district reconfiguration study. One feedback session will be Tuesday at Timpanogos High School, another Wednesday at Vista Heights Middle School and the last one will be Thursday at American Fork Junior High School. All the meetings will be held at 7 p.m.

The public hearing for the lease revenue bond will be held at the Alpine School District office in American Fork at 6 p.m. March 19.

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