The results are in: the Provo City School District Bond has been rejected.

According to the Daily Herald, the bond failed to gain the approval of the public with a vote of 9258 (62.99%) against and 5440 (37.01%) for the issuance of the bond. The bond was designed to finance the rebuilding of Timpview High School, Dixon Middle School, and Wasatch Elementary, as well as the expansion of Westridge Elementary and redesigning of various elementary schools for improved security measures.

There are various reasons why voters may have voted against the bond. One such controversial issue is the relocation of Dixon Middle School, with disagreements over how the rebuilding of the school should be handled. One disapproving Provo resident, Eric Chase, argued that moving Dixon would harm the surrounding community as well as decrease possibilities of expansion in the education system in Provo, in an article published in the Daily Herald.

Other voters were concerned by increased taxes and unnecessary cost. The bond was requesting $245 million for the projects, a price tag that scared off many potential supporters. But while some may have been turned off by the sheer magnitude of the number, others suggested their own options, with some citizens fighting for increased structural support instead of a complete rebuild of Timpview to decrease costs, saying that it would increase the time to further plan for less financially strenuous options.

People who supported the bond are still figuring out why it failed and what comes next. Principal Montero cited tax increases, misinformation, and the Dixon movement as possible factors that contributed to the bond’s failure, saying “They [the opposition] did a good job appealing to people’s emotions… It was the perfect storm.”

When questioned about how the school board will move forward, Principal Montero said “I think there’s several options\; they can try to redo the bond next year, they can try to take some stuff off of the bond and make it more palatable for taxpayers.”

But nobody’s giving up yet. While immediate plans to solve these issues are yet to be created, Timpview’s administration is committed to doing its best to serve its student body. Montero concluded, “as long as someone doesn’t come and tell us the school’s [condemned], then we’re going to continue with our mission to educate you guys and get you ready for your next steps in life.”

We edited a quote for error.