"If the district has any way to make it a districtwide vote, I want my voice to be heard," said Angela Davis, parent from Foothills Elementary in Riverton. If west siders remained barred from a vote, she said, "I'm personally looking into a class-action lawsuit."

Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, doubted the district could meet the "very prescriptive timeline that's in statute" to put its request on the November ballot, including having the county form a committee to study the matter and take public comment first.

Ostler agreed but told the board: "Unless you ask, the county has no legal authority ... to allow all voters in the Jordan School District to have a say."

Walker, however, believes the district's proposal was otherwise motivated. "They really want to derail the division," she said in an interview.

Board member Kim Horiuchi said some of her constituents believed the board's proposal was outside the spirit of the law.

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com