Mythbusting: Are the stereotypes about east-side and west-side schools really true?

Psst. Heard the rumors about how schools on the rich east side of Salt Lake County have smaller classes, better programs, more experienced teachers, more exotic student trips, fewer behavior problems and fewer minorities than schools west of the Jordan River?

Everyone has. Many view such sometimes unseemly rumors as the real-but-unspoken fuel for current moves to consider splitting both the Granite and Jordan school districts and separate the problems of one side of the valley from the advantages of the other.

But how many of those rumors are really true?

In the spirit of the popular TV series "Mythbusters," which uses experiments to "bust" or confirm common beliefs, which may or may not be "myths," the Deseret Morning News used state open records laws to compile data about programs and facilities on both sides of each district.

The gleanings bust some common myths, such as which side of the valley really has the better teacher-to-pupil ratio. But they confirm other impressions, such as which side has the better college preparation classes and which has teachers with more experience and advanced degrees.

Analysis of several of the myths helps show what each side of the valley is receiving for its tax money — and the result may help focus ongoing debates about splitting or improving the districts.

The Morning News looked only at equality of programs and facilities, not test scores. Most experts say scores often depend more on such factors as parents' education and income. That is out of the control of school districts, but they do control the programs and facilities they offer. The analysis looks mostly at regular schools, not at special or alternative education centers.

West-side schools are more crowded than those on the east side and have more portable classrooms.

Jordan and Granite: Confirmed.

In Jordan, the average used capacity of schools, based on a traditional school year without portables, is 84 percent on the east side and 112 percent on the west.

Of course, schools sometimes increase capacity by adding portables, going to year-round calendars or using split sessions.

In Jordan District, the average number of portables is 1 per school on the east side of the valley but 2.6 per school on the west side.

In Granite, the average capacity used is 97 percent on the east and 109 percent on the west. The average number of portables per school is 1.3 on the east, and 3.4 on the west.

In both districts, the east side tends to be long settled, while construction of new homes continues at high rates toward the west, and districts are struggling to keep up.