My name is Tucker Smith, and I’ve taught at Timpanogos High School for 6 years. I grew up in Orem, and I currently live in Orem, close to Timpanogos High School. Like many, I am worried about the upcoming Alpine District split and what that will mean for education in Orem, Pleasant Grove, Lindon and Vineyard.

According to the MGT study Alpine School District commissioned a while ago, we will be going from a $12.9M surplus across 84,414 students (current Alpine numbers), to a $6.4M deficit across 25,175 students (anticipated South district numbers). These are big numbers, and hard things will need to be done.

I see three bad options that we as citizens within this new district face: a) we can raise property taxes to meet the previous funding levels, as well as bonding for building needs; b) we can close schools to save costs; or c) we can cut funding for programs, staff, and teacher pay. None of these options are good, but I hope the citizens of this district are willing to implement the first option — that we are willing to raise property taxes and pass bonds. The other two options will lead to a decrease in the quality of education our children receive, and I hope we all recognize that is not an option we want to stomach.

In this new year, we will be electing school board members for this new district. I hope that we elect board members that are willing to make hard decisions, like raising property taxes, on behalf of our rising generation.

Tucker Smith, Orem