Orem students are currently better served staying in Alpine District. Options with other cities should be studied, but an Orem stand-alone district is the worst-case scenario. Here’s why:

• With shrinking enrollments and fixed building costs, Orem schools are the most expensive districtwide, costing on average $1,000 more per student in overhead. Alpine augments our operations by more than $20 million annually, including additional teachers to give students full curricular options and programs.
• Alpine has aggressively invested in new builds/improvements for Orem schools. Only two seismically unfit schools remain, but another series of needs will follow.
• Special education needs in Orem are high, relying on many services only available in other cities. Orem is extremely close (13.6%) to the 14% enrollment cap on state-reimbursable funds. Again, Alpine currently supplements this budget.
• Orem has the highest academically impacted demographic with critical language and low-income supports that are currently backfilled by Alpine.
• Orem teachers are among the most experienced districtwide. Eighty-four percent say they will seek to find other positions in Alpine.
• Complicated boundaries with neighboring cities will disrupt families and decimate schools.

It is concerning that while proponents of Proposition 2 are advocating for smaller schools and smaller class sizes in Orem, they are at the same time actively asking the public to deny these very benefits to our students in seriously overcrowded schools in other parts of the district. Voting for the Alpine bond will not overburden Orem residents, regardless of what happens with Prop 2. Orem has the potential to receive $45 million to $50 million, or 7%-8% of the bond, and will continue to receive many benefits from capital investments from Alpine. We love our beautiful schools and I am committed to aggressively updating every building.

Those supporting a split are running a well-financed campaign based on innuendo, deceit and false claims to drive their narrative. In my role as board member, sworn to the oversight of our schools, I have been repeatedly accused of “spreading misinformation,” “causing disruption” in the community and acting on behalf of Alpine School District. Let me confirm that I have acted well within my rights as an elected representative and my actions have been taken on my own initiative. On this eve of the election, I have no regrets and am grateful for a public that cares deeply about education and Orem’s children. I would like to continue serving on the Alpine board as Orem’s advocate. Proposition 2 would seriously compromise education in Orem. Vote NO to control the future of our neighborhood schools.

Ada Wilson is a member of the Alpine School District Board of Education and organizer of the Stronger Together political issues committee.