Three of the Wasatch Back’s four school districts are in the process of updating their facilities.
Park City School District expanded its middle and high schools and is building new athletic facilities. Wasatch County School District has a second high school under construction and North Summit School District is hoping to pass a bond for a new high school.
South Summit School District is just starting to think about upgrading its facilities.
The district’s Silver Summit Academy — a non-traditional public school — has three relatively new buildings. But the district’s other three schools, South Summit elementary, middle and high school, will need to be upgraded or replaced in the next few decades.
Superintendent Greg Maughn said part of the problem is they were all built around the same time.
“Back when the schools were all built in the Kamas Valley, they had, as I understand it, a lot of oil and gas money coming in. And that's just not the case anymore,” he said.
Maughn said it would be impossible to build three schools within a short time period again.
So, the Board of Education is working on a 15 to 20-year facilities plan. To aid in that work, the district recently started a feasibility study to determine what it would take to build a new elementary school on district property in Francis, Oakley or Kamas.
Maughn said the district is also assessing its three oldest buildings.
“Based on that, what's the best plan moving forward to avoid getting too far down the road and having issues with multiple buildings at one time?” he said.
Maughn said the board wants to be fiscally responsible and prudent.
