North Summit School District leaders say the current high school is aging and needs to be replaced.
So it’s unclear what their next move will be now that voters have rejected a bond to pay for a new building for the second year in a row.
According to the Summit County Clerk’s Office updated numbers Wednesday, more than 1,000 voters were against the bond. About 900 voted for it.
That’s a slightly smaller margin than in 2024, when about 56% of voters shot down the bond.
Last year, the bond was estimated to cost $114 million. This year, it was $121 million.
The district says inflation and other economic factors mean the cost estimate will likely continue to climb.
After voters rejected the high school bond the first time, the North Summit Board of Education voted to create a “local building authority.” That lays the groundwork for issuing a bond without a vote of the people.
But going that route would mean a more expensive interest rate.
Both types of bonds would be paid back with property taxes.
Summit County Clerk Eve Furse says all ballots have now been processed but the results won’t be final until the canvass Nov. 18.
The clerk still needs to verify some signatures, a process known as “curing” ballots. It’s also possible more overseas ballots could arrive. That means the numbers could fluctuate slightly before the results are official.
Early designs for a new North Summit High School have it located on Industrial Park Road on a meadow just under Coalville’s rock ledges. The school district purchased the land in 2008 with future construction in mind.
The current high school next to North Summit Middle School would be demolished to make way for a new aquatic center.
