PCSD's Dixon "Plan" Not a Net Gain

This morning, Provo School district made an announcement about what might happen to the Dixon site if the bond passes.

Much of this “new” programming, including afterschool programs by the Boys and Girls Club and the IHC clinic, already exists on-site at the current middle school and serves students and families from throughout Provo.

This statement assumes that future school boards are going to commit large amounts of money necessary to maintain or restore the Dixon school to a usable condition.

School districts do not usually allocate these levels of funding to community centers because they move resources out of our schools. There are already disagreements among board members of how much we should be spending on peripheral programs, and that attitude will only increase as Provo citizens see taxes skyrocket over the next few years. The only way to ensure that children and residents have access to these valuable community programs is to vote no on this bond, and demand a new bond that maintains Dixon as a school.

It seems like every week the district is presenting more and more unaccounted for costs including renovations, sewer, water and roadway construction that Provo residents will be responsible for paying in addition to the already extremely costly bond. We have always maintained that moving the middle school to a new site will end up costing taxpayers substantially more than rebuilding onsite.The lack of planning for current Dixon location is just one of many reasons why so many citizens have joined us in opposing this bond.

The statement is meant to placate voters without providing any real solutions for the future.