School district splits timeline

2005

March: Jordan Board of Education votes to close both Cottonwood Heights and Mountview elementary schools, effective that fall. Both schools were in Cottonwood Heights.

December: After a Granite Board of Education decision to close Granite High School brought on two student protests and angry complaints, the Granite board decides to keep the high school open but in a limited capacity. Granite, South Salt Lake's only high school, is turned into a nontraditional school. Both Canyon Rim and Meadow Moor elementaries in Holladay are also closed.

2006

February: A bill passes allowing first- and second-class cities to create their own school district, if a feasibility study is done and residents vote on a new district. Salt Lake County Council passes a motion in favor of the bill.

April, May: Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Sandy, South Salt Lake and Orem all study split.

July, August, September: Alta, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Midvale, Sandy and Salt Lake County approve a joint feasibility study for a new east-side district splitting from Jordan School District; South Salt Lake, Holladay and Salt Lake County do a similar study on splitting from Granite School District. Orem becomes the first city to reject a district split.

2007

February: A new small school-district bill is passed by the Legislature. The updated bill clarifies many unanswered questions from the 2006 bill.

March: West Jordan studies its own split from Jordan School District. West-side mayors ask Jordan Board of Education to seek a legal opinion on whether a law denying a west-side vote is constitutional.

April, May: Studies for the east-side cities show that the remaining Granite and Jordan districts would have to raise taxes to pay for their district growth. Also, the Legislature begins talking about equalizing costs for school construction across the county or across the state. Jordan Board of Education attorney says the 2007 law violates the 14th Amendment — board OKs letter asking east-side mayors to hold off until constitutionality is resolved.

June: Board debates whether to seek to split itself as a way to give west side a vote; instead, it takes neutral stand on issue.