Utah’s oldest public high school urgently needs upgrades — and could see a complete rebuild

Deep in the bowels of West High School, in a network of concrete tunnels stretching from the main campus to its football field, sits a vintage desk covered in cobwebs and pencil etchings. When it was stored there, and who may have used it, only time knows.

The tunnels, once used to transport steam to heat the century-old campus, are no longer in use. But the school’s current heating and cooling system still rattles with age.

Aboveground, West High’s classrooms are too old and too small, Salt Lake City School District officials say. The molding peels away in jagged strips, and brown stains splotch the ceiling where water has leaked. Flimsy, plastic columns stretch from floor to ceiling in some classrooms, intended to hide electrical cords that have been rigged into place to accommodate modern technology.

As Utah’s first public high school, West High is steeped in history. Originally constructed in 1922, its ”school gothic” style is reminiscent of elite institutions like Yale and Princeton, making it a beloved landmark in Salt Lake City.

But the historical campus no longer meets the needs of 21st-century students. The district hopes to modernize it, if voters pass a $730 million bond proposal this November.

“These are some closets that we’ve converted into offices,” said Jared Wright, West High’s principal, while guiding The Salt Lake Tribune on a campus tour in July. He pointed to a small, windowless room across the hall from the school’s guidance center on the third floor.

“The [social workers] need to be close to the guidance center, and there’s no room,” he said. “… It’s been painted and carpeted, and they don’t complain, but it’s a little goofy.”

“A little goofy” describes the layout of the whole school, which has seen a patchwork of mismatched additions completed through the decades.

In addition to modernizing West High, the bond would also be used to rebuild Highland High School and construct an athletic field house at East High School. Highland was built in 1956 and, like West, is in need of renovations.

Yet preserving West High’s historical character within a reasonable time frame while staying within budget poses a significant challenge, district officials say. They are exploring several rebuild options, if the bond passes, but West could ultimately emerge unrecognizable at the end of it.

Why is the district proposing a bond now?

The Salt Lake City school board voted Aug. 6 to place the $730 million bond proposal on the fall ballot. If passed, it would lead to an estimated annual property tax increase of about $220.80 for residents, based on the average home value of $576,000, according to the bond proposal.

The exact increase would vary depending on individual home values, said district spokesperson Yándary Chatwin. Homeowners could expect to pay roughly $38.33 more in annual property taxes for every $100,000 of their home’s value.

Board member Ashley Anderson noted before the vote that residents with children who will soon attend West High worry about additional disruptions to their education, particularly due to setbacks already faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Some expressed concern that a focus on capital needs could limit any remediation for learning needs,” Anderson said. “Why [is now] the critical time that we go out for a bond?”

The district’s business administrator, Alan Kearsley, explained that construction costs are only expected to increase every year.

“There are significant needs at both of those high schools,” Kearsley said, referring to West and Highland. “The sooner we can get the kids of the Salt Lake City School District educated in 21st-century buildings, the better.”

The bond proposal has been years in the making, as West and Highland have long needed repairs, said Chatwin. But several factors delayed the process.

First, the district launched a boundary study in response to a 2022 state audit criticizing the district for spending millions to keep certain elementary schools open despite dropping enrollment. The study ultimately led to the closure of four elementary schools this year.

The second delay came as west-siders called on the district to build a new high school closer to the Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods.

Chatwin said the board commissioned a demographic study to determine whether adding a new high school to the bond proposal was viable. While the data showed that there are enough students on the city’s west side to sustain an additional high school there, Chatwin said there isn’t enough “contiguous” land to build one.

The state recommends a site the size of at least 30 acres, plus an additional acre for each 100 students attending the school.

“The superintendent had conversations with city and state leaders on kind of some creative solutions, maybe some land swaps,” Chatwin said. “We were not able to piece together a piece of land large enough. Without that, there is no way to move forward on building a comprehensive high school that would be equal in caliber and offerings to the high schools on the east side.”

Highland High rebuild options

In 2022, the school board commissioned two feasibility studies for West and Highland. The studies were carried out by separate architectural firms and each hosted multiple community and staff meetings to gather input. The district also surveyed residents, gathering over 2,000 responses.

Paul Schulte, the district’s then-auxiliary services director, presented the results to the board in February 2023, outlining several rebuild options at various price points for Highland and West. Three options were proposed for Highland and four for West.

The board has not yet decided which options it will pursue, because all choices hinge on voter approval of the bond. The board plans to discuss the matter later this fall.

The preferred option for Highland High would involve moving the main school building to the north end of the property, closer to 2100 South. The project would take approximately 6½ years to complete and would be executed in four stages.

With this option, students would not have to be put into classroom portables and could remain in the existing building while construction is completed on the new one. Estimated project costs range from $295 million to $310 million.

West High rebuild options

Preserving the entirety of West High’s original 1920s building while upgrading it would cost the district upward of $412 million. Doing so could also take 8½ years, and students would have to be in portables for seven of those.

That’s why the district’s preferred option for a potential rebuild involves preserving the original main entrance — a tribute to the school’s history — while replacing everything else.

This option would relocate the school’s main academic buildings to the opposite side of 300 West, where the baseball field, track and tennis courts are currently situated.

The historic main entrance would be flanked by a new auxiliary gym on one side and a main gym on the other. A new field house would also be constructed.

While the football field would remain in its current location, it would be upgraded with a new track encircling it. Gean Plaga Stadium, named after West’s acclaimed football coach Gean Plaga, who died in 2005, would keep its name but be rebuilt.

If the district picks this option, the project would take approximately seven years, but students could remain in the current building while the new one is constructed across the street. The new main building would be complete in about three years and the estimated overall cost is around $304 million.

The idea of tearing down the historic school is difficult for many community members, said Wright, who is a West High alumnus.

“But it’s not for me or for you,” Wright said. “It’s for our students today and tomorrow.”

Isaac Astill, the district’s executive director of auxiliary services, said the district is losing hundreds of students to charters and other districts with more modern offerings. He said parents believe their children can learn better in environments with natural light, plenty of electrical outlets for charging devices and aesthetic common spaces.

“We’re already closing things because we’re losing students,” Astill said. “This is one of the ways to keep them.”

The bond would also help advance the district’s sustainability objectives as they aim for 100% clean, renewable energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040. A portion would be used to add or expand solar power generation at several elementary schools as well as hybrid electrification of heat pumps and controls across various buildings.

A public hearing on the bond is scheduled for Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the district’s office building at 406 E. 100 South.

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