Jordan School District
Oct 04, 2016 05:19PM ● By Bryan ScottEvery day Jordan School District welcomes 52,300 students into 56 elementary, secondary, technology and special education schools located throughout the communities we serve. The goal is to provide quality education in a safe environment where every child can achieve at his or her highest level. When students succeed, our communities succeed. Crime rates go down. Businesses flourish with an educated workforce. This generation pays into social security and retirement benefits, which in turn allows retirees to have a better quality of life. Never before has our future been more closely tied to an exceptional and quality education.
The biggest challenge we face right now is extreme growth. Look around and you see it everywhere. Over the next five years, JSD needs the capacity for a projected 9,250 additional students. With more and more students comes the need for more classrooms. Adding classrooms requires construction and new construction costs money.
That’s why the Board of Education has unanimously approved a proposed $245 million bond to build six new schools, which includes a rebuild of the 60-year-old West Jordan Middle. With the building of these new schools, boundaries can be realigned across the District to balance enrollments and benefit all communities. In addition, when we have funds to construct new schools, capital money becomes available to pay for upgrades and renovations at existing buildings.
The bond will require taxes for bond payments to increase $16.80 a year total on a $300,000 home, the average home value in the District. For the price of a large pizza a year, every child will be better served. Our communities will flourish as new businesses look to locate here, expand the tax base and hire educated individuals who stay in the area and contribute to society.
We have worked hard with our citizens’ committees, mayors and staff to reduce building costs and come up with a plan to support current and future students, to better our existing schools, keep taxes low and continually work to better the quality of life for everyone.
Let’s Grow Together.
For more information on the proposed bond, visit Jordanbond.org. You can contact the District with questions by calling our bond hotline at 801-567-8705.