Salt Lake school districts decry equalization plan

"It seems to me, what with parts of the west side of Jordan District up in arms and looking at lawsuits ... if this bill passes, then their vote to split the district is affecting everyone in the county who didn't get to vote on it," said Gayleen Gandy, member of the Granite Board of Education. "So those on the east side of Jordan District who had an opportunity to vote ...are essentially raising the taxes" of four school districts, including their own, but without anyone else's say.

The Salt Lake City Board of Education Tuesday night shared similar sentiments, Superintendent McKell Withers said. Its stand is to either equalize building money statewide, or just within the Jordan District, which is affected by a split.

Murray School District supports equalization, but would rather see legislators put some income tax revenues into it rather than going through the property tax, business administrator Tim Leffel said.

"How (would) the people of Murray react to the fact we're raising your taxes to compensate for money we had to send to another district?" Leffel said.

The tax increase in Granite would be nominal — an $8 hike in annual tax on a $250,000 house, district budget director Mitch Robison said — to make up for the $1.4 million loss under the bill. But it's the principle.

"As I look at the needs we have in the Granite District, in terms of our capital needs, I'm saying we can't afford to raise taxes to send money down to Jordan," Granite Superintendent Stephen Ronnenkamp said. "I would hope the taxpayers in the Salt Lake District and the Granite District and the Murray District would be outraged by this proposal."

Jordan's Newbold is sympathetic to the outcry. "If I were superintendent of a district that were exporting dollars, I'd have some concerns as well ... in essence, they're getting asked to resolve an issue they didn't create," he said. "But would the remaining Jordan School District welcome that kind of help? Yes, they would."

The Utah School Boards Association, Utah School Superintendents Association and Utah Association of School Business Officials have joined in opposing SB48.

The Jordan Board of Education has taken no position on the bill.

Indeed, it needs building help: The west side will need up to $800 million to build enough schools to meet growth over the next 10 years.

Still, Newbold says the bigger question of state's role in school buildings remains unanswered by the bill.

SB48 has passed the Senate and awaits House debate. It's uncertain whether lawmakers will pay its asking price, or just some of it. New money estimates came in last week lower than expected. A statewide property tax equalization bill waits in the wings if the money's not there.

---

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com