Mascaro said he wants to talk to Walker about her ideas, then see if his constituents like them. He said discussions could entice him to abandon his bill.

"The whole reason there is a conflict is because of the concern about an inequity in the funding," Mascaro said. "So if we're able to resolve the funding issue of the schools through the mechanism she's talking about, it may be the solution."

Last year, lawmakers paved a way for cities to create their own school districts. Citizens already were allowed to petition on the matter.

South Salt Lake, Holladay and Salt Lake County have entered into a feasibility-study agreement to examine the impact of a new and old district. Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Sandy, Alta, Midvale and Salt Lake County have also approved their own study.

Jordan and Granite district leaders have worried about the effect on the remaining school district should the cities walk away. They like Mascaro's bill.

"It doesn't seem right to impose changes on somebody without their participation," said Martin Bates, assistant to the Granite superintendent on legal matters.

"What the bill does is make people sit down and develop something that really is better for everyone, and if it's truly better for everyone, of course we would be supportive of that."

Jordan Superintendent Barry Newbold said the feasibility study portion would "provide patrons with more information." His district could need 26 new schools in the next decade and a $779 million bond to keep up with growth, mainly on the west side. If east-side cities leave, the west could shoulder the bill, which Mascaro calls unjust.

"The west side, when it was not having the growth the east side did, was paying property taxes for schools that were being built on the east side," Mascaro said. "And now ... they all of the sudden would not be participating in the building of the schools on the west side."

Cullimore disagrees with Jordan District estimates, which he said have created unnecessary panic.

"This really comes down to an issue of concern over how they are going to finance their construction needs on the west side, with the growth they are experiencing. They're worried that if we form a new district, they lower the tax base to help pay for their schools."

It's a valid concern, Cullimore said.

"I understand the driving principle behind it," added South Salt Lake Councilman Bill Anderson

"The concern is we'll make it cost prohibitive to the west side because they don't have the tax base to build their schools," Anderson said. "Eventually, you just end up with the people in those fastest-growing communities to foot the entire bill."

That is part of the issue that worries Anderson. He said he thinks those involved can come up with methodology that will help fund the new schools. He suggested using the state surplus for per-pupil construction costs for new schools.

"I'm not interested in creating a school district for financial reasons. I'm interested in creating a school district for local control of the educational environment."

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com; astowell@desnews.com