New school district in West Jordan?

WEST JORDAN — In an effort to keep pace with the east-side Salt Lake County cities preparing to split from the Jordan School District, West Jordan is moving forward with a feasibility study to form a new school district within its boundaries.

"We need to worry about protecting the residents of our city," West Jordan City Councilman Kim Rolfe said.

Last month, the City Council directed staff to prepare a request for proposals for a study examining the pros and cons of West Jordan forming its own school district. The City Council reiterated that direction Tuesday night, despite suggestions from staff that it hold off on a feasibility study until results of the east-side study can be reviewed.

"None of us know what the study is going to show," Rolfe said. "At this point, we don't have the data to look at. If we don't do the feasibility study, we're never going to know."

State law requires cities to conduct a feasibility study before putting the creation of a new school district on the ballot for a public vote.

A feasibility study for east-side cities Sandy, Draper, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale and Alta is under way, with results expected in approximately four to six weeks.

Using costs and time estimates of that study, a West Jordan-focused study would cost between $75,000 and $95,000 and take about six to eight months to complete, said Tom Steele, assistant city manager.

Steele said there are benefits to waiting until the east-side study is done. Those findings, he said, could be used as back-up data for a West Jordan study, and there's a possibility that the group conducting the study for the east side could be contracted to extend its work for a West Jordan study. Both cases offer potential savings to the city.

Councilwoman Kathy Hilton said she doesn't believe the city can afford to wait for the east-side study to be completed. West Jordan needs to be ready to go on its own if and when the east-side cities split from the district, Hilton said.

The focus of West Jordan's study also would be different from the east-side analysis, said Councilwoman Melissa Johnson, because the city intends to create its own school district only if the east-side cities do break away.

"We've reduced the scope (of the study) right there," Johnson said.

After several schools were closed or almost closed on Salt Lake County's east side in 2005, many east-side cities began researching the idea of splitting from the Jordan and Granite school districts.