Alpine School District has canceled Tuesday’s public hearing on a $175 million lease revenue bond while the district considers alternatives to funding the construction of a new high school in Saratoga Springs. The hearing initially was scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Rich Stowell, director of communications for Alpine School District, said “all options are under consideration” for funding the new high school.

“The need for the high school remains and the board is committed to making sure that the students in that part of the district have the facilities that they need to get an excellent education,” he said.

In October, the district purchased a 50-acre plot from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for $12.9 million, where the high school will be built.

The potential bond has stirred some ire against the district, such as the Utah Taxpayers Association speaking against it.

The association released a statement shortly after the hearing was announced, saying the district intended to “issue debt whether their voters want it or not and in blatant defiance of the Legislature which governs them.”

This past legislative session, a bill was passed to cap the cumulative amount of lease revenue bonds that a local government subdivision can issue in a three-year period at $200 million. That legislation goes into effect on May 1.

While that law, Senate Bill 86, was being considered, an advocacy group circulated 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. Cox has yet to sign the bill, with Thursday being the deadline for him to sign or veto legislation from the session.

Stowell said the legislation was part of the reason the district scheduled the public hearing, but after fully reviewing the law, the district board realized it didn’t need to act as quickly and will consider all options at upcoming board meetings.

While the lease revenue bond isn’t totally off the table, the district has other funding methods it can consider, such as the normal budget savings process, tax increments and general obligation bonds, which need voter approval. Stowel said it is likely the board will use a combination of funding methods for the high school.

Last year, the district issued a lease revenue bond for nearly $82 million to construct a new middle school in Eagle Mountain. In 2022, a $31.8 million bond was secured for Desert Sky Elementary, also in Eagle Mountain, and in 2020, a $32 million bond was issued for Trailside and Harbor Point elementary schools.

With other bonds the district has issued, Stowell said once the recent legislation is in effect, the district can issue $86 million in lease revenue bonds before it reaches the new state-mandated ceiling.

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.

The population in Saratoga Springs has gone up 30% between 2020 and 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. In Eagle Mountain, the population has grown by about 25% between 2020 and 2022.

Westlake High School, Saratoga Springs’ only high school, is expected 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 by 2028.

“We (the district) know that there is a need for an additional high school in that part of the district,” Stowell said. “And so we want to just plan appropriately to make sure those facilities can come online when they are needed.”

He added that the school board is aware of the “wide array of public opinions” on the matter and they are committed to a “very deliberate” study and learning process before making any decisions.

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