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FARMINGTON — Viewmont High School Principal Dan Linford looks forward to the day when he won't have to keep adding portable classrooms in the parking lot, and when the neighborhood isn't jammed with student vehicles for nine months of the year.
He also hopes the 50-year-old school building will, at some point, get air conditioning, and things will change so every day doesn't involve safety concerns from having to accommodate hundreds of students beyond capacity.
All of it makes for an "uninspiring" place to learn, Linford said, but it's a challenge that doesn't seem to be going away.
"What really has us concerned are the projections on numbers," Linford said. "Every year over the last three or four years, we seem to be adding a portable (classroom), and that growth isn't projected to stop for a number of years."
The Davis School District currently uses 350 portable classrooms to provide a temporary solution in schools with a fluctuating need for space. But in places such as Viewmont, the extra buildings have become a fixture on campus, increasing tardies and other discipline problems as students travel in and out of the main building.
Currently, the school has 11 portables in its student parking lot. In three years, it could have 19.
"I spend an inordinate amount of time not being the educational instructional leader in my building, but being a parking maid, trying to control the space out there," Linford said. "At the same time I need to add parking, I'll actually be taking it away.
"And man, these kids could use some air conditioning," he said.
Viewmont's situation is one of many that district leaders hope to address through a $298 million bond, which they hope voters will approve this fall.
Most of the money — $246 million — would go toward building a new high school in Farmington, a new junior high school in Layton, and one or two new elementary schools in northern Davis County.
The other $52 million would go toward renovations or additions at Viewmont, Woods Cross and Mountain high schools, Sunset and Mueller Park junior high schools, and West Bountiful Elementary. It would also be used for roofing, boiler replacements or other upgrades at several other schools throughout the district.
Because the bond is one-time money, it can't be spent on teacher salaries, according to district spokesman Chris Williams.
Families with a $240,000 home could expect to see a yearly increase of $1 or $2 during the five-year bond, with a cumulative increase of no more than $7.49. If approved by voters, the bond would take effect in 2017, and construction could begin as early as next spring.
Based on current projections, Centennial Junior High School could go from having 200 students above capacity to almost 550 students above capacity by 2021, with a similar story for Legacy and Mueller Park junior high schools.
While not all parents in the district would see significant changes at their local school, "virtually everyone" will benefit from having additional space in their school, Linford said.
"We suffer a little bit and we bleed a little bit before we turn to the taxpayers and say, 'We need your help,'" he said. "We do go without so that we never do have that one-time enormous tax hike on our community."
If voters don't approve the bond, taxes could go down over a seven-year period as the amount needed to pay off existing bonds decreases, according Williams.
"If the bond doesn't pass, over time, your taxes are going to decrease $168, so taxpayers should be aware of that," Williams said. "But people have to realize, that may be true, but how does a school district handle growth?"
Based on current projections, Centennial Junior High School could go from having 200 students above capacity to almost 550 students above capacity by 2021, with a similar story for Legacy and Mueller Park junior high schools.
That problem amplifies as student numbers coalesce in high school. Between now and 2024, Layton, Davis and Viewmont high schools could each have between 450 and 750 students beyond capacity. That means more portable classrooms, which cost up to $60,000 to build and $1,200 per year to heat and cool, according to Williams.
It's growth that is all but guaranteed to happen, he said.
"These are kids that are already in the system. This doesn't account for new growth," he said. "Right now, the central west part of the county is really booming. west Farmington, west Kaysville, west Layton — there's development all over."
As a parent, Michelle Koerner said the bond would be a worthwhile investment for her two kids at Viewmont High School, especially if space and air conditioning issues were resolved.
"I think there's a definite need for the things they want to add and do," Koerner said.
Even though taxes could go down if the bond doesn't pass, she said "the need's still there" for students and teachers across the district.
"The truth is, we live in an economy that's growing and building, and the community's growing, so there has to be an allowance for that," she said.
District leaders will hold a public meeting to discuss the bond on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at the District Office Administration Building, 45 E. State Street in Farmington.
