Monday the Jordan School District transition team announced it has retained legal counsel to represent the west side of the school district if talks on how to divide the district's assets land the teams in arbitration.

The team also directed negotiating team members to continue meeting with members of the Jordan-east team in further developing a proposal.

Jordan-west transition chairman Ralph Haws said his team is determined not to go to arbitration, but it would be "negligent" if the team did not prepare and choose a legal representative in case arbitration is unavoidable.

"We are committed to moving the process forward in a timely manner," Haws said. "We're going to make proper preparations so if, in fact, we have to go forward in that direction, we'll be prepared to represent the students and residents and have a fair and equitable resolution."

Last November east-side residents voted to split from Jordan and establish their own district and the transition teams were charged with figuring out how to divide the district's assets and liabilities.

The Jordan-east transition team retained a lawyer to prepare for arbitration early this month after the Jordan-west team rejected a proposal that they thought divided the district's assets unfairly.

According to state statute, the transition teams have until Aug. 1 to agree to a solution before arbitration is started. If the teams cannot agree on a settlement of the district's assets, the teams have to name their representatives for arbitration by Sept. 1. That deadline is one reason Haws says his team feels compelled to retain representation.

"We're pleased with their willingness to assist us," Haws said. "Hopefully, we won't have to use their services much."

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Contributing: Tiffany Erickson

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E-mail: achoate@desnews.com