Coalville resident Walter Brock says he and a group of about 10 North Summit School District residents are organizing a petition challenging the $125 million in bonds the district approved this month.
The money is for a new high school and pool, but Brock said some residents aren’t satisfied with the board of education’s reasons for going into debt.
“A number of the citizens here in the North Summit School District area feel frustrated that their voice isn't being heard and their questions aren't being answered in relation to the lease obligation bond that's being submitted,” the former mayoral candidate and city planning commissioner said.
The bonds ultimately get paid back with property taxes, and voters previously rejected similar bonds on the ballot in 2024 and in 2025.
The school board has proceeded with bonds anyway because members believe the existing high school has safety risks.
VCBO Architecture assessed the almost 50-year-old building and found its roof is more than twice as heavy as modern roofs, and its walls aren’t steel-reinforced. The report said that makes the roof vulnerable to caving in during an earthquake.
It said the sewer, electrical and air systems need to be repaired or replaced. Looking at the potential cost of repairs, school board members argued that a new building is the best financial decision.
They said it's an opportunity to redesign classrooms and hallways with modern student safety features. VCBO’s report indicated North Summit High School lacks a secure vestibule and wide, observable hallways.
But property taxes have been at the top of North Summit residents’ minds at least since the local fire district transitioned from a volunteer to a paid staff in 2022.
That came with a more than 300% fire tax increase in one year. The North Summit Fire District backed off of an incremental increase for 2026 after residents said they were still hurting.
That’s part of the equation for residents opposed to the high school bond.
Brock said he and other residents want a follow-up seismic analysis based on the architect’s report.
“There's no obvious or unusual signs of structural distress or deterioration,” he said. “So we as a community felt that that investigation into a claim of a safety concern ought to be done.”
The bonds the school board authorized carry a higher interest rate than if they were approved in the 2024 or 2025 elections, making them more expensive to pay back in the long run.
The residents behind the petition effort hope to put the bonds back on the 2026 ballot. They say they need signatures from 20% of North Summit’s registered voters by the beginning of January to do that.
They have set up an email, nshsbondpetition@gmail.com, for residents to get more information.
In 2024, the school board said the bonds would be up to $114 million. But the construction estimate has gone up, partly due to inflation.
“There's a lot of uncertainty in financial markets right now, from my understanding,” Brock responded to a question about future costs. “Who knows? Maybe there will be a lull in significant construction costs, and these will go down because people will have an overabundance of labor that needs to be engaged, or there's an opportunity for new materials.”
Brock added that the high school is at 60% utilization, with new enrollment flat or down in the past few years.
School board members previously said safety, not growth, was the primary reason to bond for a new high school.
