Leaders urged to be fair splitting school districts

Slow down and think about whether splitting school districts is fair, a group of civic and business leaders headed by former Gov. Norm Bangerter is telling state and local leaders.

"While there very well may be merit in creating smaller school districts, concerns of fairness and equity must be addressed before proceeding to change district boundaries, and these issues are properly handled by the State Legislature," Bangerter, chairman of the Oquirrh Alliance, said in a prepared statement.

"We encourage our leaders to preserve the fairness of our educational system and to plan appropriately to support the rapid growth occurring in Salt Lake County and throughout the state," said Bangerter. "A comprehensive and thorough plan for maintaining equity in our educational system should be produced and executed by our state and local elected officials."

The Oquirrh Alliance is an advocacy group aiming to help public officials in solving growth-related issues in the state and, especially, in the fast-growing areas of Salt Lake County.

Members include Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller, Salt Lake Chamber leader Lane Beattie, Salt Lake Community College President Cynthia Bioteau, former Govs. Olene Walker and Calvin Rampton .