By Rebecca Shurtz
Because of the exploding population of students, Nebo School District plans to build 10 new schools by 2010.
'Nebo is one of the fastest-growing school districts in the area,' said Lana Hiskey, public relations director for Nebo School District. 'Right now, we average about a 1,000 new students a year.'
The tentative construction timeline includes plans to build seven elementary schools, one junior high school and two high schools.
Nebo School District Board of Education met Monday, Oct. 27 to discuss which schools should be built first.
The district plans to ask voters on February 3, 2004, for permission to bond for $140 million to cover the construction cost. If taxpayers agree, then construction will begin January 2005 on three of the 10 planned schools - two elementary schools and one junior high school.
The state projected that by 2010 Nebo will have approximately 7,200 students for the elementary schools, said Steve Maughan, director of operations for Nebo School District.
The first two elementary schools will likely be built in Santaquin and Spanish Fork. New high schools will likely be built in Salem and Spanish Fork.
Rob Keddington, the principal of Santaquin Elementary School, said although the school has no extra classrooms it is not overcrowded. The issue really is getting the sixth grade back into elementary schools, Keddington said.
In 2007, the district is planning to eliminate middle schools, moving the sixth grade to the elementary schools and seventh grade to junior high schools.
'It is mostly a cost saving measure,' Keddington said. 'It is far cheaper to have seventh through ninth grades in junior high.'
Another reason for the move is that 'secondary schools are bursting at the seams,' Hiskey said.
The tentative schedule includes building another three elementary schools and a high school starting in 2006. Construction of the second high school would begin in 2008 and construction of the last two elementary schools would begin in 2009.
'This is just a rough timeline to meet the goal,' Maughan said. 'It will really just depend on the support we get from taxpayers.'
Nebo School District covers counties as far north as Springville and as far south as Goshen. The current district enrollment is 23,400 students in a total of 32 schools.
Hiskey said one reason for the growth is the huge amount of property development.
'This is one area that has (enough surrounding) land to grow,' Hiskey said. 'It''s just a great living environment.'
'Tons of people are moving into the valley,' Keddington said. 'Developers are planning to build homes at an incredible rate.'