With the recent greenlight from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox of Senate Bill 188, School District Modifications, the long-awaited build of a new high school in Saratoga Springs may finally come to fruition.

During their general meeting on Tuesday, Alpine School District Board of Education members voted unanimously in favor of a resolution expressing the intent to issue lease revenue bonds in the amount of $238 million to build two new schools in the soon-to-be formed West School District.

The vote essentially starts the process for the board to potentially issue bonds for the projects. It also sets up notice of a public hearing to be held in late April for citizens across all areas of the current district to weigh in on the matter.

The bonds would go toward constructing a new high school in Saratoga Springs and a new elementary school in Eagle Mountain.

The district previously purchased a 50-acre plot from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where the new high school may be built.

The consideration for the issuance of bonds comes a week after the governor signed legislation that opens up more options for school districts to issue lease revenue bonds and general obligation bonds independently to fund capital projects.

Government entities can issue lease revenue bonds without resident voter approval to fund construction of new facilities, acquisition of property, renovation and improvement of facilities, and procurement of equipment.

In March 2024, the board of education considered issuing a $175 million bond for the construction of a new high school in Saratoga Springs but then decided to hold off and seek alternative ways of funding the project.

One of the obstacles the school board faced was the ability to issue bonds once the district split was initiated.

Voters swung in favor of splitting Alpine School District three ways during the general election back in November.

In 2027, three new districts will be operational in the central, west and south regions of Alpine district, resulting in the dissolution of the present district.

Despite the outcome, Rich Stowell, director of communications for Alpine School District, said the board has remained committed to ensuring students west of Utah Lake have the facilities they need to receive the best education possible.

“The split vote complicated that for a time, but S.B. 188 and current action from our school board has sort of worked through those complications,” he said.

If the board elects to move forward with passing the issuance of a new lease revenue bond, it would not impact funding toward projects in the other two districts.

“It actually frees up dollars for South and Central to utilize, if they so choose,” School Board President Julie King said during Tuesday’s board meeting.

King also clarified during the meeting that the bond would not impose any further debt on local taxpayers as the funds are already available.

Alpine School District previously approved property tax increases in 2023 and 2024. Allocations for the funding, according to Alpine School District Business Administrator Jason Sundberg, were slated to include the building of new schools in the west.

According to language in S.B. 188, once the split is finalized in 2027, debt associated with a bond will be the sole responsibility of the respective district where the funds were utilized.

Until then, the current Alpine School District would be responsible for interest payments on the debt.

“The interest payments in the meantime will be paid with property tax, but it’s already there,” Sundberg explained before the board on Tuesday.

Parents and community members have previously raised concerns on social media and at board meetings about overcrowding at Westlake High School, Saratoga Springs’ only high school.

According to Alpine School District data, Westlake currently has an enrollment of just over 3,000 students. That number is projected to grow by nearly 300 additional students by the 2026-27 school year.

In neighboring Eagle Mountain, Cedar Valley High School has a student population of 3,300.

Both cities continue to experience significant population growth.

Between 2022 and 2023, Saratoga Springs added more than 3,200 new residents, while Eagle Mountain added nearly 2,900 more residents, according to census data.

Although current board members admitted they were divided on the district split, each one wanted to make efforts to set the new organizations up for success.

“The intent of our board is to make sure that we are creating three strong districts and that together we are unified and committed in that process,” said board member Sarah Beeson.

If the Alpine School District Board of Education and its Local Building Authority move forward with the bond, the new high school could be up and ready for students by fall 2028, the second school year into the newly formed districts.

The public hearing for the lease revenue bond will be held at the Alpine School District office building in American Fork at 6 p.m. April 22.