Bond Frequently Asked Questions

The State of Utah utilizes a bond process for school districts and property owners to work together to construct and update schools. A bond works somewhat like a home mortgage. The school district sells bonds for building construction and improvements, and residents pay back, through their property taxes, a portion of the principal and interest every year until the bonds are paid off.  Voters must approve a general obligation bond proposition in an election.

See the What is a Bond page for more information.

General obligation bonds are typically scheduled to be paid out over a period of twenty years.  Many school districts, including Cache County School District, will try to pay off bonds quicker than the original structure of twenty years. Cache County School District has saved nearly $10 million taxpayer dollars by refinancing and paying off bonds early. 

Under Utah law, school districts can issue bonds for construction, acquiring, improving, or extending facilities or property. Bond funds cannot be used for personnel, maintenance, or operations.

Since the 2013 bond, the Cache County School District has grown by 4,197 students and continues to grow. In addition, the State of Utah has provided funding for all-day kindergarten, which requires additional classroom space. Currently, eleven of our seventeen elementary schools and one of our middle schools are operating above capacity, and the district is utilizing 38 portable classrooms. Portable classrooms allow us to quickly accommodate growth in the short term; however, they are not a long-term solution for housing students.

Typically, the Board of Education will organize a committee of community members and district staff to study the district's building needs. Most recently, a Building Task Force was organized in the spring of 2022 and asked to study the district's needs. The Task Force spent several months examining information related to building needs in the school district including past, present, and future growth, building capacities, program availability to patrons, land holdings, the financial position of the school district, etc.  Specifically, the task force looked at the following pressing challenges facing the district:

1. How to resolve 11 elementary schools operating above capacity.
2. How to provide access to all-day kindergarten for all 27 communities.
3. How to resolve three middle schools feeding four high schools, and the inability to expand our smallest middle school, which is operating above capacity. 
4. How to meet the needs of the community without raising tax rates.
5. How to best position the district for future growth, especially in our fastest-growing communities.
    

The bond request of voters is $139 million. This is the amount needed to complete the proposed projects and an amount the district can bond for without raising the tax rate. 

Bond funds would be used for the following projects:

• The construction of a new middle school in Nibley
• The construction of a new middle school in Hyde Park
• The construction of a new elementary school in Hyde Park
• The conversion of Spring Creek Middle School into an elementary school
• Secured school entryways and other safety improvements

These changes would allow the school district to move sixth grade back into the middle school and provide for the addition of two new elementary schools. This solution would immediately solve our capacity problems at all eleven of our overcrowded elementary schools and provide more space for all-day kindergarten. 

If the bond is passed in November 2023, the most likely timeline would be to go out for bid for the new schools in the first half of 2024 and then construct the new middle schools and have them ready to open by August 2026.  We would hope to have a new elementary school and the converted elementary school open by August 2027.

The district does not receive regular funding from the State to pay for new school buildings. A general obligation bond is the least expensive option for financing a significant project such as a new school building. Interest rates for general obligation bonds are lower than other financing options.

Fundraising may be able to assist with smaller expenses and projects such as furniture & fixtures, but projects as large as a school building are typically much more than can be privately fundraised.  

Property owners can anticipate no tax rate increase related to this bond.  Based on conservative estimates, and assuming taxable value remains steady, payment of the 2023 bond would fit within the existing rate or possibly be even lower.  This is possible because the district would structure future bond payments to layer with existing bond payments in a way that keeps the total amount of taxes assessed per year within the current tax rate.

By approving this bond, taxpayers would be taking on additional debt, which will require a longer period of time to pay (up to 20 years from when the bond is issued).  The majority of the district’s current debt will be paid off by 2029.  If this bond is approved, the district will have additional debt payments until approximately 2044. In other words, without the issuance of new debt, taxes would be lowered in upcoming years.

If this debt is issued according to the plan, the overall tax burden on district taxpayers should remain approximately the same as now, going forward.  

Property tax in Utah is calculated by multiplying the assessed value of your property by the tax rate. If the assessed value of your property increases, this may result in a higher property tax payment, even if the corresponding tax rate has not increased.

The district has a history of completing bond projects on time and on budget. The district also works hard to save taxpayer money by repeating school designs. For the 2013 bond, the school district was able to build two new high schools for the same total cost that many school districts typically spend on one high school. This was done through careful planning, repeating our design across both schools, taking advantage of market conditions, and being conservative and focusing on the critical function of our schools. 

The district has also saved taxpayers millions of dollars by aggressively refinancing bond payments when interest rates became favorable to do so.

Money from the bonds can only be used for the construction and remodeling of buildings. However, if the bond passes, it may be necessary for the Board to make a modest future adjustment of taxes in order to pay for the operating costs of the new buildings and the hiring of non-teaching personnel. If necessary, this tax adjustment would be made for the school year in which the new buildings open. The Board would follow Utah’s truth-in-taxation process to make this adjustment. 

Alternatively, the District may be able to absorb some or all of these additional costs within future budget amounts received from the State.  The Board would consider both of these options prior to the opening of new schools.  

Here is a link to the district's most recent Popular Financial Report: 2022 Popular Annual Finance Report.

Additional district financial reports are posted on the district website on this page: District Financial Reports.

There is not a set time for seeking a bond, but the last three bonds have each been approximately ten years apart.

The last two bonds were in 2004 and 2013. Those two bonds consisted of the following projects, which were all completed on time and on budget.

2004 projects included:

• Structural and efficiency upgrades at North Cache and South Cache middle schools. 
• Upgrades to Mountain Crest High School including sports facilities and a driver education range
• Upgrades to Sky View High School including a media center and music rooms.
• A new gym for North Park Elementary School.
• New elementary schools in Mendon, Nibley, and Smithfield.
• A new transportation and maintenance facility. 
• Strategic property acquisition for future sites.

2013 Projects included:

• Addition of Green Canyon and Ridgeline high schools, allowing the district to put 9th grade into the high schools. 
• Seismic upgrades/replacements to Millville, Providence, Summit and Sunrise Elementary schools to include new classrooms and gyms.   
• A new elementary school in Lewiston
• Conversion of Cedar Ridge, Willow Valley, and White Pine into elementary schools.
• Retirement of Lewiston, Wellsville, and Park elementary schools
• New Alternative High School (Cache High)
   

The school district has two philosophies when it comes to the use of bond funds. First, we do not ask for funds until growth or conditions warrant a request of the public. It can be difficult to predict growth, and that is why we utilize portable classrooms until we are sure where growth will occur. Housing developments don’t always bring children into our schools. Much of that depends on who is purchasing those homes and how the economy is doing. Likewise, planned housing developments don’t always occur due to fluctuations in the economy or for other reasons. Secondly, the school district is conservative in how it chooses to construct its schools. Our building designs are very practical in meeting our needs. We try not to overbuild.

The Cache County Board of Education is also very aggressive at restructuring bonds based on market conditions, to save taxpayers money. The last three restructures have saved taxpayers over ten million dollars.

Election day was November 21, 2023.

As per state law, the ballot language would be as follows:

If the bonds are issued as planned, without regard to the taxes currently levied to pay outstanding bonds that will decrease over time, an annual property tax to pay debt service on the proposed bonds will be required over a period of 20 years in the estimated amount of $234 per year on a primary residence with the District average value of $524,143 and in the estimated amount of $426 per year on a business or secondary residence having the same value. 

The Board currently levies property taxes to pay debt service on other outstanding general obligation bonds that have been issued to finance voter-approved projects. The incremental property taxes would decrease upon the repayment of the currently outstanding bonds, but the decrease will not occur if the proposed bonds are issued. Taking into account the repayment of the outstanding bonds, the Board expects that the issuance of the proposed bonds, in the manner currently expected, will result in no net increase to current annual property tax levels for the repayment of bonds.

The foregoing is only an estimate and is not a limit on the amount of taxes that the governing body may be required to levy in order to pay debt service on the bonds. The governing body is
obligated to levy taxes to the extent provided by law in order to pay the bonds.
To vote in favor of the above bond issue, select the box immediately adjacent to the words “FOR THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS.” To vote against the bond issue, select the box immediately adjacent to the words “AGAINST THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS.”

State law requires that the district put only one bond resolution before voters. In the past, that has not been the case.

For a complete list of polling locations, please visit: www.cachecounty.org/elections.
The election officer will post on the website the location of each polling place for each voting precinct, each early voting polling place, and each Election Day voting center, along with any polling location changes. For more information on polling locations, contact the Cache County Election Office at (435) 555-1212.

It is always important to vote to let your voice be heard, regardless of how you vote.

Whenever a school district decides to explore a bond, a building task force is developed. Participants in this task force are nominated by the Board of Education and represent each Board voting precinct. This task force began work in the Spring of 2022 and finished their work that summer by making recommendations to the Board of Education. The school district also hired a firm to survey residents regarding a potential bond proposal.

Because of countywide bond efforts on the November 2022 ballot, the Board of Education chose not to bond that year. Since that time, the school district has sought additional public input through focus groups and additional public surveying. 

The school district conducted public meetings to help explain the bond process and proposed bond. These meetings were held on the following days.

• Oct. 23rd at 6:30 pm - Sky View High School
• Oct. 25th at 6:30 pm - Mountain Crest HS
• Nov. 6th at 6:30 pm - Ridgeline HS
• Nov. 8th at 7:30 pm - Green Canyon HS

Bond questions can be directed to any Board of Education member or to district leadership team members. If you have questions, please check the District website for a list of board members and district leadership. You can also call the school district at 435-752-3925.

Additional bond information can be found at https://www.ccsdut.org/2023Bond.

A feedback form is provided for community members to share their feedback or ask questions. You may access it here: CCSD 2023 Bond Feedback Form.

Cache County School District has grown by 4,197 students since its last bond in 2013.

According to the 2020 Census, Cache County is the sixth largest county in Utah, with 133,154 residents. Current projections have the County doubling in size between 2020 and 2060. The annual growth rate of the valley is projected to be between 1.6% and 2.6% per year. The school district is projected to continue to grow through 2025 before leveling off for a few years before it begins to increase again. This is according to the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.

With the projected flattening in growth over the next decade, this bond allows the District to resolve the growth pressures of 4,197 students in the last ten years and move those students into more permanent structures, accommodate all-day kindergarten for all its Cache Valley residents, and provide room to sustain the current student population for the next several years. 

During the 2004 bond, the school district built several new elementary schools in Nibley, Smithfield, and Mendon, as well as made improvements to other schools.
During the 2013 bond, the school district reconfigured or retired older structures, converted Cedar Ridge, White Pine, and Willow Valley into elementary schools, and built a new elementary school in Lewiston. The district also added several classroom additions to Sunrise, Providence, Summit, and Millville Elementary schools. In addition, the school district built two new high schools and moved 9th grade into the high school.

Since the 2013 bond, the school district has utilized portable classrooms to respond to growth. In addition, the district added ten classroom additions to each new high school. Currently, eleven elementary schools and one middle school are operating above capacity. The current need is to move sixth grade back to a middle school environment, which would relieve pressure on all 17 of the district’s elementary schools, provide for four middle school feeder schools into the district's four high schools, and provide access to all-day kindergarten for all 27 communities served by the district.

The district did anticipate the growth and has bonded every ten years to be able to accommodate that growth as it occurs. It can be very difficult for the school district to anticipate where growth will occur, especially in its elementary schools which operate with much smaller boundaries than our middle or high schools. As a result, the school district strategically utilizes portable classrooms to be more agile as growth occurs. Then, after the growth occurs, the district determines where extra classrooms or buildings are needed.  

Building two new middle schools would allow the District to move sixth grade back to the middle school environment, relieving pressure on all seventeen elementary schools and allowing the District to accommodate all-day kindergarten in all of its communities. It also would allow the District to have four feeders for the four high schools and not bus North Logan students south to Providence or Hyde Park students north to North Cache.

The two locations for the middle schools are in Nibley next to Heritage Elementary School, where the school district already owns property, and in Hyde Park a few blocks North of Green Canyon High School. These two locations were selected to be congruent with our high school boundaries so that we have four middle schools located in the same boundaries and feeding our four high schools. Fortunately, we were able to acquire or already owned the land for the schools that we purchased during the 2004 bond, which saved taxpayers money due to market prices at the time.

The location of the new northern end elementary school has yet to be determined.

Yes. The plan is to move sixth grade back into the middle school environment. The district has used grade configurations to maximize the use of facilities. The district anticipates that having a K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 configuration will serve us well into the future. 

There should be minimal disruption to boundaries. Some boundary shifts occur in elementary schools to allow the District to accommodate new neighborhoods. The plan for middle and high schools is to keep those boundaries the same.

We hope that schools are a welcomed neighbor in our communities. We have been in contact with both Hyde Park and Nibley's mayors, who have been supportive of our efforts to locate middle schools in their communities.

There will be transportation changes to accommodate the needs of students attending new schools. One large advantage to this plan is that the district will no longer need to bus students from North Logan through Logan City to attend Spring Creek Middle School in Providence. Students in Hyde Park will no longer be bussed to North Cache in Richmond, and some students who typically are bussed to South Cache Middle School in Hyrum will be bussed to the new middle school in Nibley.

Portable classrooms are a temporary solution to accommodating growth and are not a long-term solution. They are expensive to build and to maintain. We also prefer to have elementary students located in a main building rather than having them permanently located in temporary buildings. However, we will continue to utilize portable classrooms to adjust for growth across our schools. 

During the 2004 and 2013 bonds, the school district spent a considerable amount of bond funds to resolve seismic concerns and update outdated facilities in the school district. Seismic concerns were resolved in Lewiston, Richmond, Smithfield, Millville, Hyrum, and Wellsville. Structural and functional updates were also made at several schools. The first priority for this bond is to address growth.

However, the district is forming an additional building task force to begin to look at a schedule for updating facilities.

In recent years, the school district has aggressively made safety and security improvements in its school buildings. The district has been updating processes, such as systems to improve emergency response and communications. The district has improved school security by adding inside locks to classroom doors, improving access security to outside doors, improving video surveillance, and improving entrances to include doorbell systems and controlled access. While the school district has spent a significant amount on these improvements, additional funds are needed to complete these improvements at all 25 of the district’s schools. Bond money will be utilized to help ensure all school buildings are brought up to a similar level.  

Yes. By moving sixth grade back to a middle school environment, classrooms will be opened to allow us to offer all-day kindergarten in every school. Currently, the school district offers all-day kindergarten in six elementary schools. However, it cannot fully offer all-day kindergarten in six schools and not at all in five schools. 

Yes and no. More available classrooms certainly allow us to accommodate smaller class sizes, especially in those situations where schools are operating above capacity. However, the funds a school district receives to fund teachers are different than the funding raised to build facilities. Class sizes are not heavily impacted by a bond, but overcrowding of buildings certainly is. 

We would love to have air conditioning in each of our 25 schools. We always build new schools with air conditioning. The last projected bid for air conditioning in all of our schools was over $40 million. The Building Task Force and Board of Education prioritized accommodating growth and housing students while not raising the tax rate, and minimizing any tax increase took priority.

Typically, the hottest time for students is the first two weeks or three weeks of school. With that said, we are forming a new Building Task Force to begin examining our facility upgrade needs and to prioritize and schedule those for the future.

Cache County has some of the most educated residents in the State and boasts a very low unemployment rate. Not only does it support two public school districts, but also several charter schools, a technical college, and a major university. Education is an investment in our children and our future and one that residents of Cache Valley have long supported and benefited from.